
Class 
Book. 



V-2. 4 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE, 

GENERAL DUNCAN McARTHUR, 
CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS, 

AND 

GENERAL SIMON KENTON: 

WHO WERE EARLY SETTLERS IN THE WESTERN COUNTRY. 

by john Mcdonald, 

OF POPLAR RIDGE, ROSS COUNTY, OHIO. 



DAYTON, 0.: 

PUBLISHED AND SOLD BY D. OSBORN ii SON. 

1852. 



r 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1838, 

by john Mcdonald, 

in the Clerk's Office for the District Court of Ohio. 



>+T****+**+*r*+rsi***r^*+*+++***r^+*, 



PREFACE. 



Ix presenting the reader with the following narratives of the dis- 
tinguished men whose characters are attempted to be delineated, no 
apology is deemed necessary. The subject is one in which all men, 
who love to see portrayed from the stump, the rise, and progressive 
improvements of our country, must feel a lively interest. Is there a 
man whose feelings are so obtuse, as not to follow General Massie and 
his compatriots, with intense anxiety, through the wilderness, sur- 
veying the country, and forming new settlements in the midst of 
dangers and difficulties the most appalling 1 if such there be, I envy 
him not his insensible stupidity. 

The defects in the composition, none will more sincerely deplore 
than myself; and I regret, more than any other can, that my attain- 
ments as an author are not more fully equal to the subjects on which 
I have treated. 

I have endured more pain, from diffidence and even timidity, in 
presenting myself to the public as an author, than I have suifered 
from fear in the most dangerous situation. It must appear novel to 
see a man over sixty years of age, without any of the advantages of 
education, having but little leisure, and always hard pressed to se- 
cure a living, turn his attention to the labor of composition in the 
evening of life. Under these disadvantageous circumstances, little 
eclat is expected ; if humble mediocrity is allowed I will be content. 
I took up my pen to rescue from oblivion the names of men who 
" have done some service to the state." 

In this age of enterprise and intellectual improvement, shall it be 
said by posterity, that, while the bones of our pioneer fathers are 

iii 



IV PREFACE. 

mouldering into dust, no record of their useful labors shall be pre- 
served to perpetuate their memories 1 " The man dies, but his me- 
mory should live." 

There are certain epochs in the history of every country which 
indissolubly fix themselves in the memory of its inhabitants, from 
generation to generation. The war for independence, and the first 
settling of the western country being simultaneous, these were the 
starting points, from which we date our national existence. The 
brilliant achievements performed by our forefathers to effect these 
memorable objects appear to have formed the critical era, on which 
long hung, in doubtful suspense, the destiny of these United States. 
It will be admitted by all, that the old Indian war was a continuation 
of the war of the Revolution. And, as Thomas Paine eloquently 
said in his Crisis, " these are the times that try men's souls ; the 
summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink 
from the service of his country — but he that stands it out now de- 
serves the love and thanks of man and woman." 

In many scenes of the grand drama, were tragedies performed 
which, for boldness and sublimity of execution, throw romance into 
shade. The names and characters of some of the actors have found 
a place in the history of the country — but of many, very many, who 
in that crisis performed brilliant exploits, the names and memories 
are lost forever ; whilst the names of others are only remembered in 
lingering, changeful, traditionary legends. 

In attempting to describe the awful catastrophes and frightful 
combats which took place on the western frontier, we sometimes 
meet incidents to which language is not equal. " The conception is 
too bulky to be born alive, and in the struggle for expression every 
finger tries to be a tongue." When we reflect on the bold assaults, 
or the ingenious, masterly retreats of the old frontier-men — the 
patient fortitude with which they endured fatigue and hunger — it is 
evident, that man little knows till he is tried in the school of ad- 
versity what calamities and hardships are beyond his endurance. 
The dangers from their enemies, though great, were only an item in 
the catalogue of their sufferings. They had to travel through thick 
woods without road or path, scratched with briars, stung by nettles, 
or torn by thorns. When night approached, no shelter to protect 
them from the " pitiless pelting of the storm," or comfortable 
Couch on which to repose their weary limbs ; the moist earth was 



PREFACE. V 

their bed, the firmament of heaven their covering ; tormented with 
gnats and musquitoes, their nights were sleepless ; when morning 
light returned, their cares and watchfulness were resumed, to guard 
against the danger of being surprised by their bold, vigilant and 
dexterous enemy. 

It must be remembered that the period is almost at hand, when to 
speak of the enterprising men who first settled on the banks of 
the beautiful river Ohio, from personal knowledge, will be closed 
forever. Who, and what they were, and what they accomplished, 
if not immediately recorded, can shortly be known only as tradition- 
ary legends. To cast his mite of information on this subject, to 
those who may succeed him, is the principal design of the author. 

When a retrospective glance is taken of the path pursued by the 
old frontier-men, and the difficulties and dangers encountered and 
overcome, all will admit, that they performed their fearful duties with 
a firmness unsurpassed in the annals of history. Many of them bled 
under the tomahawk of the red men, and to all their existence was 
one connected period of toil, privation, and watchfulness. 

Having been an humble actor in many of the scenes described, 
the incidents which I did not witness were communicated by the 
actors shortly after the events took place, so that the reader can place 
the fullest reliance in the truth of the narratives related in the fol- 
lowing pages. 

The biography of General Massie I had published in the Western 
Christian Advocate some time since; and, as herewith presented, it 
has been revised by Henry Massie, (son of the General,) and I have 
no doubt is much improved on the original draft. Perhaps the work 
would have pleased better had his friendly pen revised the other 
parts of the volume. 

It is unnecessary to inform the reader that the author of the fol- 
lowing pages makes no pretension to the accomplishment of learn- 
ing — this the learned reader will soon discover. My early life was 
passed with hunters, boatmen, and soldiers, where there were but 
rare opportunities of associating with men of learning, or polite ac- 
quirements. I have the most humble opinion of my literary abilities ; 
and when I engaged in writing and publishing in the newspapers 
sketches of the lives of some of the old backwoodsmen, with whose 
history I was well acquainted, it was without the most distant idea 
of writing a book. The approbation with which my narratives ap- 



VI PREFACE. 

pear to have been received by the public, together with the solicita- 
tion of some of my friends, has induced me to adopt my present 
course. 

Having endeavored to present the reader with the manners and 
customs of the old frontier-men, together with some interesting 
events which will aid the historian of some future day, in delineating 
the character of the early settlers as well as the early history of the 
western country, I now take my leave of the subject. 

john Mcdonald, 

Of Poplar Ridge, Ross County, Ohio. 



A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 



OF 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 



CHAPTER I. 



The life of every man, of any distinction, is intimate- 
ly connected with many of the events that compose the 
general history of his country. It is by his connection 
with those events he is made to display his character, 
and derive from his companions whatever reputation he 
may merit. Nor can we, in writing the biography of 
such a man, strictly confine ourselves to the immediate 
occurrences of his own time ; but we must be permitted 
to look back a little, and form a connected chain of 
events, in order to make plain what would otherwise ap- 
pear obscure, and give a just importance to events 
which would not otherwise seem to merit attention. 
These are the reasons I beg leave to urge as an apology 
for the following digression. 

A short time previous to, and about the time the Re- 
volutionary struggle commenced, the attention of the 
citizens of Virginia was drawn to the Kentucky terri- 
tory ; which was, at that time, and for many years after- 
wards, the western portion of that state. This attention 
was produced by some hardy hunters of the mountains, 
who accustomed to danger, and always seeking some 
new and exciting field of enterprize, passed far beyond 
the pale of civilization, and pushed their discoveries in 
the rich bosom of Kentucky. Returning to the settle- 

7 



8 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ments, the fame of the exuberant richness of the soil 
was spread throughout the land. They told, that they 
had passed beyond the wide chain of mountains, that 
composed, at that time, the middle portion of Virginia, 
and had reached the valley beyond, and found a beauti- 
fully rolling country, covered by a dense forest of large 
trees, the ground beneath them carpeted by the luxuriant 
growth of waving cane, and that the soil was rich be- 
yond any they ever beheld. Besides all this, what gave 
the greatest joy to the hunter, was the fact, that game 
of different kinds abounded in profusion ; so much so, 
that the Indian tribes, from different portions of the West, 
had from time immemorial contested, in long and bloody 
battles, the occupancy of the soil, during the hunting 
season ; and, on this account, the country was known 
among the Indians by the name of Kentucky, " the dark 
and bloody ground." 

Such glowing descriptions, in spite of the many and 
embarrassing difficulties under which Virginia, at that 
time, labored, soon excited the activity of many of her 
citizens. That state owned an immense landed territory, 
and had always been extensively liberal in its disposal. 
The legislature foresaw, that the only mode to accom- 
plish the early settlement of their vast unappropriated 
lands, was to be effected by the liberal encouragement 
to settlers ; and, by an act for that purpose, every one, 
who made a settlement by clearing a spot of ground, 
erecting a cabin, and raising a crop of corn, on such 
lands, was entitled to four hundred acres of land, includ- 
ing the settlement, and the preemption right to one thou- 
sand acres adjoining thereto. The settlement claims 
were bounties given to settlers by the state ; the pre- 
emption claims were rights given by the state to the 
settlers, to purchase before others and appropriate one 
thousand acres adjoining their settlements. These claims 
to land, in Kentucky, were of high standing and much 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 9 

respected, and generally prevailed beyond other claims, 
when difficulties did not arise about the location of them. 
A large portion of the state was quickly settled by this 
liberal encouragement extended to settlers ; yet a very 
short time was allowed to them. The unbounded rage 
for the acquisition of western lands seized the specula- 
tors, and the greater portion of the country was soon 
more than doubly appropriated by the military and trea- 
sury warrants, issued in almost as large quantities by 
Virginia, as continental paper. 

The wretched " every one for himself" system of loca- 
ting lands, at that time, gave rise to more than thirty 
years continued litigation of the land claims. So much, 
indeed, were they entangled, that in their adjustment, 
more brilliancy of talent was displayed, and more ab- 
struse learning brought forward and applied, than it could 
well be conceived possible such a subject could originate. 
Happily, however, for the country, the rules of our laws, 
when applied by great and discriminating minds, are 
rules of reason, and when directed steadily to some 
great end connected with human transactions, will finally 
overcome all difficulties, and accomplish the desired ob- 
ject. In Kentucky, a system of land law was soon 
erected, abstruse indeed, but founded in justice, as it 
soon relieved their entangled and much litigated titles. 
But to return. 

For several years after the Kentucky territory was 
explored, many difficulties were encountered in making 
permanent settlements. The settlers were placed, as it 
were, in a gauntlet, continually exposed to the inroads 
of the Indians from the northwest of the Ohio, and also 
from the tribes that bordered the southern part of Ken- 
tucky. These different tribes of Indians meeting yearly, 
during their hunting and war season, found the country 
possessed by the whites, who were looked upon by 
them as a common enemy, who, they justly suspected, 



10 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

had come to rob them of their possessions. Animated 
by the wrong which was about to be done them, and also 
by the thought that they were contending for the country, 
which had been the glorious field of the warlike exploits 
of their chiefs and warriors, they fought with that bra- 
very which borders on despair. For these reasons, their 
warfare with the whites was of an exterminating charac- 
ter on both sides, and the scenes of bloodshed that en- 
sued were most terrific. Another great difficulty, under 
which the settlers labored, was the distance they were 
removed from the settlements. Supplies of absolute 
necessaries were not easily transported so great a dis- 
tance, as no roads were then known, and the only mode 
of transportation was the pack-horse, and the only guide 
the compass and the experience of the woodman. Un- 
fortunately, at that time, no remedy could be applied to 
remove these difficulties, as Virginia with the other col- 
onies were, at that time, engaged in the arduous struggle 
for Independence, and no protection could, as heretofore, 
be afforded to the settlers by troops levied for the fron- 
tier service. 

Under these and many other difficulties, the pioneers 
of an early day labored. Is it not surprising that the 
settlement of the country should have continued to pro- 
gress ? Every returning messenger, too, from the new 
to the old country, had scenes of horror to relate of the 
stealthy incursions of the savages, their deadly hatred 
to the whites, and their indiscriminate and inhuman 
butcheries of them. The thoughts of such things did 
not discourage the pioneers. On the contrary, the tide 
of emigration, year after year, began to swell in larger 
and more regular streams, and the inhabitants soon 
commenced a system of offensive, as well as defensive, 
operations. Hitherto, the hunters and surveyors had 
adopted, from necessity, the roving habits, the cunning, 
and hardihood of the savages, and had carried on with 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 11 

them a desultory warfare, in which innumerable instances 
of personal bravery were displayed, that showed them 
to be men of more than Spartan courage. Many sad 
lessons, however, had taught the settlers that their only 
means of safety could be afforded by combinations of 
the inhabitants. At their stations, they, therefore, con- 
structed block-houses and walls built of trees, as they 
were found to be the most secure method of defence, and 
always afforded a place of retreat from danger. In these 
stations were placed the wives, the children, and the 
moveable goods of the settlers, and a sufficiency of land 
in the immediate vicinity was cleared and cultivated to 
raise the necessaries of life. The men, during the greater 
part of the year, were busily employed in locating and 
surveying land. 

This subject is so absorbing as to have carried me be- 
yond my intention. It is impossible, indeed, to reflect 
on the early settlement of Kentucky without being 
deeply impressed with interest in its varied scenes, and, 
at the same time, made to feel an almost unbounded ad- 
miration of the character of its early inhabitants. Enter- 
prize and courage gave to each one the knowledge of 
his own capacity, while sincere friendship, strict confi- 
dence, and mutual dependence in times of danger cemen- 
ted them together like a band of brothers. They lived at 
a time, when those manly and ennobling qualities were 
necessary for their well-being, and a continuation of 
these qualities among their descendants, have rendered 
them celebrated, in our land, for their open and manly 
bearing and other qualities connected with true courage. 

I have made the above remarks, in order to connect 
them with the subject of this biographical sketch. It 
was at an interesting period of the settlement of Ken- 
tucky, that he entered upon the active duties of a sur- 
veyor, and to a man of capacity in that business an im- 
mense field of enterprize was opened. 



12 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

General Nathaniel Massie was born, in Goochland 
county, Virginia, on the 28th day of December, 1763. 
He was the eldest son of Maj. Nathaniel Massie of that 
county, who was a substantial farmer in easy circum- 
stances. The Major was a man of great plainness, in- 
dustry, and good practical sense, and although possessed 
of means sufficient, he chose rather to give his sons such 
educations as would prepare them to transact the com- 
mon business of life, than such as would be of no ser- 
vice to them in the employments he intended them to 
pursue. Besides all this he had a large family of chil- 
dren, and acting rather contrary to the old Virginia sys- 
tem, he thought it better for his sons, that at an early 
day they should be placed in a situation to gain their 
own livelihood. So soon, therefore, as they completed 
their educations, he permitted them to select whatever 
employment they preferred. Nathaniel, the eldest son, 
chose for his occupation to learn surveying, and go to 
the western country, which at that time held out great 
inducements to enterprizing young men. Previously, 
however, to this, at the early age of seventeen years 
(1780), he was sent by his father as a substitute for 
himself, or some member of the family, in the draft of 
soldiers, made about that time, to recruit the army du- 
ring the revolutionary war. What length of time he re- 
mained, or at what post stationed, is not known to the 
author. The fact itself shows the confidence reposed in 
him at that early age by his father, and the excursion 
was well calculated to make him better acquainted with 
men and things, and it is highly probable gave a spring to 
that latent ambition which distinguished him in after life 
as a man of uncommon enterprize. 

After his return home from the army, he studied sur- 
veying, and made himself master of that science. In 
the fall of the year 1783, in his nineteenth year, he was 
prepared to set out in the world on his own footing. He 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 13 

has been described by an intimate acquaintance of his, 
who saw him a short time previous to his departure for 
the West, " as an uncommonly fine-looking young man. 
That his form was slender, well made, and muscular, 
and was calculated, from his good constitution and un- 
common activity, to endure fatigue, exposure, and priva- 
tions in an eminent degree. That his countenance was 
open and expressive of great energy and good sense, 
and well suited to gain favor from men of enterprize." 
His father furnished him with a horse well equipped, 
and all necessary surveying instruments. A small 
amount of treasury warrants were also placed in his 
care, together with a letter of recommendation to Gen. 
James Wilkinson, who was, at that time, a citizen of 
Kentucky country, and a man of distinction. 

The author, as he is personally unacquainted with the 
early history of General Massie, has been obliged to de- 
pend on whatever information his children could afford 
him, which was but little, as they have lived far away 
from the home of his youth and family connections. 
What information he has derived from them of him, 
while in Kentucky, is contained in some old letters, 
from different persons to him. It is well known, how- 
ever, that very shortly after his arrival there he was ac- 
tively engaged in locating warrants and surveying lands ; 
and from the property he accumulated, it would appear 
great success had attended his industry. An extract 
from a letter of his father, of an early date, is given on 
account of its antiquity. 

" Goochland, Aug. 24, 1784. 

"Loving Son: — I received yours, per Mr. Under- 
wood, wherein you informed me that you were in good 
health : likewise that favored by Mr. Parker, dated May 
25, 1784, wherein you informed me, that the warrant for 
two hundred and fifty acres of land was joining the other 



14 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

warrant, and that it was rather dangerous to have it 
surveyed. I am glad to hear that it is the best quality, 
equal to James river low grounds," &c. 

The following letter, as it shows the manner in which 
surveying was conducted, at that time, is worthy of an 
insertion. 

" Hanging-fork, April 26, 1786. 

" Dear Sir :— I am, at this time, unable to come over 
on the business that I promised you. For my attend- 
ing the surveys it will not make the least difference, as 
you can do it as well as if I was with you. I wish you 
to divide the land that is surveyed, belonging to the 
Dutchmen, and survey the entries that lay joining of 
those lands, and divide the entries also. Survey that 
land you purchased of Captain Owing, and survey the 
one thousand and five hundred acre entry, that is located 
at Logan's old camp on Bird's trace, about one mile from 
another large camp. The old camp was made on the 
first campaign, in the year '80, and the other the next 
campaign. I wish you to survey the entries that are on 
the heads of Grassy creek, in the name of Howard 
Lewis. If you find where Creuss was buried at a camp, 
you can easily find the entries. You must take the mark- 
ed way from the camp up a ridge, westwardly course, 
about two miles, and the way is marked all the way of 
the two miles with a tomahawk ; and then you will turn 
down a hollow to your left hand, until you cross a branch 
of Grassy creek, and you will see some stumps, where 
there has been some fire-wood cut, on the east side of 
the branch ; and continue the marked way the same 
course, perhaps two and a half miles, near the heads of 
said waters, and there you will find some trees marked, 
as the entry calls for, on the west side of the black oak, 
and some small trees marked near the said oak ; and you 
will return down to the same branch to the creek, and 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 15 

down the creek to the fork, and cross the forks and go a 
southeast course about four miles, until you come to a 
creek ; then up said creek until you find a camp on said 
creek, in the bottom, where you will see trees peeled, 
and stumps, and an old camp, and there is Mr. Howard 
Lewis's entry of two thousand acres. You will find the 
beginning about fifty rods below the camp in a buffalo 
trace, on an ash tree, marked M. black with powder, the 
mark is facing down the creek ; I peeled the bark off" 
with my knife ; and survey Stephen's above Meam- 
ey's and Young's preemption ; and that, I think, will be 
as much as you can do at this time. Now, my good 
friend, if you cannot do it, pray write a letter to me, 
and direct it to Mr. Nagle, in Danville. But I would be 
glad if you could do it, and I will give you five pounds 
besides your fees. Promise your chain carriers goods 
for their wages, which I will pay on your return ; and 
am, sir, your friend and humble servant, 

"JOHN MARTIN." 
" Mr, Nathaniel Massie." 

Who this John Martin was is not known, but this let- 
ter of instruction to Mr. Massie shows him to have been 
a land speculator and a merchant. I have introduced 
this letter to show the necessity of a surveyor's being, 
what is termed, a woodsman, and also the manner in 
which surveyors' fees were paid. Mere surveyors had 
their fees regulated by law, and were illy paid for their 
trouble, and as they were men of great enterprize and 
much information as to good unappropriated lands, they 
soon became locators of land on the shares. The loca- 
tors who were popular, and in whom confidence could 
be placed, would get a fourth, a third, £iid, sometimes, 
half, when locations could be made on first rate land. 
Massie, at first, acted as a surveyor, but he soon dis- 
covered that it was a small business, and that the pro- 
2 



16 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

fitable land business fell into the hands of the locators. 
As he was young and extremely active, and one of the best 
footmen in the West, he soon became an expert woods- 
man, to be which was an indispensable qualification of 
a land locator, as the country was then an entire and un- 
broken wilderness. No roads, or even paths, led from 
one part to the other ; and besides these difficulties, the 
restless Indians were continually on the alert to surprise 
and cut off surveying parties. The surveyors, too, had 
to explore the country, in order to find the most fertile 
lands, and in doing this they were obliged to traverse 
the woods in every direction, guess at courses, and judge 
of distances. Young Massie soon became an'expert sur- 
veyor, and it was a matter of astonishment, (as he was 
raised in the dense population east of the mountains) 
how soon he acquired the science and habits of the back- 
woodsmen. Although he never practised the art of 
hunting, he was admitted by all, who knew his qualifi- 
cations as a woodsman, to be of the first order. He 
could steer his course truly in clear or cloudy weather, 
and compute distances more correctly than most of the 
old hunters. He could endure fatigue and hunger, with 
more composure than the most of those persons who 
were inured to want on the frontier. He could live upon 
meat without bread, and bread without meat, and was 
perfectly cheerful and contented with his fare. In all the 
perilous situations in which he was placed, he was al- 
ways conspicuous for his good feeling and the happy 
temperament of his mind. His courage was of a cool 
and dispassionate character, which added to great cir- 
cumspection in times of danger, gave him a complete 
ascendancy over his companions, who were always will- 
ing to follow when Massie led the way. 

The field of young Massie's activity seems not to 
have been confined, during this period, to the business 
of locating and surveying lands. In the fall of 1786, 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 17 

we find him interested with Gen. James Wilkinson in 
speculations in salt, which on account of its scarcity, 
and the absolute necessity of the article, rendered it very 
valuable. There were then few places in the western 
country, where salt could be made to any advantage. The 
art of boring for salt water was then unknown, and the 
few places where salt was made, were where the water 
rose to the level of the earth, which from its great 
mixture with fresh water, generally required eight hun- 
dred or a thousand gallons of the water to make fifty 
pounds or a bushel of salt, which sold for two to five 
dollars, per bushel. The principal manufactories in 
Kentucky, were Bullitt's and Mann's licks near Louis- 
ville, from which the inhabitants of the West were scan- 
tily supplied at an enormous price. From two old let- 
ters from Gen. Wilkinson to Massie, which are inserted 
below, we learn that Massie was about to start for Nash- 
ville, on the Cumberland river, with a barge load of salt. 
Gen. Wilkinson, as the senior partner, directed the affairs 
of the firm, and, from his letters of instruction to Massie, 
shows his remarkable cunning, and the means employed, 
at that day, to keep from being overreached. The Gen- 
eral, at that time, was one of the largest dealers of mer- 
chandize in the West, and one of the most popular men 
in the country, and was well known to be a man of the 
first order of talents, and great discrimination as to the 
character of men. Whether Massie made or sunk mon- 
ey in the salt speculation is not known, and the subject 
is introduced chiefly to show in what articles of trade 
the commerce of the country consisted, and the manner 
in which it was conducted ; and also to show that Massie, 
young as he was, had rendered his name respectable by 
his industry and attention to business. The confidence 
placed in him by Gen. Wilkinson shows the light in 
which he viewed him. These letters further show the 
manner in which business was transacted, and informa- 



18 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tion communicated between different parts of the country 
This was done, generally, by means of expresses. It 
was eight or ten years after that period, before post routes 
and post offices afforded their facilities to the inhabitants 
of Kentucky. 

" Danville, December 19, 1786. 

" Dear Sir : — I beg you to proceed with all possible 
dispatch to the falls. You will call by the lick, and 
urge the provision of the salt ; and prepare some way 
of conveying it to the river, &c. &c. You will make the 
best of your way to Nashville, and there dispose of it 
for cotton, beaver furs, racoon skins, otter, &c. You 
must always observe to get as much cash as you can. 
When you have completed your sales, you will yourself 
move with the horses, &c, by land, and commit the 
other articles, with the barge, to Captain Alexander, 
with directions to him to proceed up to the falls, there 
secure the boat and property, and give me the earliest 
advice of his arrival, by express or otherwise. The 
goods which Captain Alexander carries down to the falls, 
I wish you to exchange for horses, or elegant high 
blooded mares, if you can get great bargains ; otherwise, 
sell them for cash, peltry, or cotton. When you receive 
the salt, take care to have it measured in a proper honest 
way, with a spade or shovel, and no sifting, &c. One 
Smith is preparing to go down with two or three hun- 
dred bushels from the lower lick. Endeavor to get off 
before him, and if you cannot, persuade him to stay for 
you ; but you must not wait for him a moment, as it will 
be your interest to arrive before him. You will remem- 
ber you are going amongst a set of sharpers, and there- 
fore must take care of yourself. Write to me by every 
opportunity, letting me know how you come on. Don't 
fail in this. God bless you and give you good luck. 

" Yours sincerely, 

" J. WILKINSON.'' 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 19 

" Fayette, 29th Bee. 1786, Friday Morning. 
11 Dear Massie : — I approve of your plan to go to 
the port with two hundred bushels of salt, and sell for 
cash or furs, but take no deer skins. Be sure and get as 
many otters as possible. Be cautious in your move- 
ments, guard against the savages, coming and going, and 
discharge your men the moment you get to the port. 
The only thing you have to dread is the ice. To be 
caught in the ice would be worse than the devil's own 
luck. Act with decision and despatch in whatever you 
do. God bless you. 

" J. WILKINSON." 



CHAPTER II. 

As much as could be learned of the life of General 
Massie, while engaged in business in Kentucky, has been 
related in the last chapter. We have now arrived at a 
period in his life, when my own information will serve 
me, instead of the scanty materials from which the nar- 
rative of his early life has been gathered. The facts, 
that I shall relate, will be connected with the exploring 
and settlement of our own portion of the state, and I hope 
will interest both the old and young. To the old settlers, 
it will bring to remembrance the privations and hardships 
endured, and the difficulties and dangers long since passed 
through, and now almost forgotten in the lapse of time. 
To the young of the land, it will be a bright example, 
as it will place before them the hardy virtues of those 
men, who by their bravery, enterprize, and industry, 
have astonished the world by the power with which they 
wrested our country from its savage inhabitants, and 
have, within a few years, made it almost the garden spot 
of the land. Mr. Trumbull, in his history of Connect!- 



20 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

cut, referring to the early history and settlement of new 
countries, in his beautiful and appropriate language, says, 
that " no man of genius, taste, and curiosity, can read the 
accounts of the origin of nations, the discovery, settle- 
ment, and progress of new countries, without a high de- 
gree of entertainment. But in the settlement of his own 
country, in the lives of his ancestors, in their adventures 
and heroism, he feels himself particularly interested. He 
at once becomes a party in their affairs, and travels and 
converses with them, with a kind of filial delight. 
While he beholds them braving the horrors of the desert, 
the terrors of the savage, the distresses of famine and 
war, he admires their courage, and is pleased with all 
their escapes from danger, and all their progress in settle- 
ments, population, opulence, liberty, and happiness. 
While he contemplates their self-denials and persever- 
ance, in surmounting all dangers and enduring all hard- 
ships, in turning the wilderness into gardens and fruitful 
fields, and transmitting liberty and religion to posterity, 
he is struck with a pleasing astonishment. The pious 
man views a divine hand conducting the whole, gives 
thanks, adores, and loves." 

Many of the western pioneers were warriors by pro- 
fession and courted danger for danger's sake. These, on 
account of their daring intrepidity, were welcome guests 
wherever they went. Others there were, whose views 
were more enlarged, and who with equal courage put 
danger at defiance, keeping a steady eye to push forward 
the bounds of civilization in the vast wilds of the west. 
Such were the leaders of the hardy woodsmen, who were 
engaged in making new settlements on the borders of the 
river Ohio, and its tributary streams. Some one of these 
master spirits led the way in each settlement which was 
made, in spite of the Indians, wnose restless and contin- 
ual incursions caused every cabin to be raised at the risk 
of life, and every settlement to be made under the most 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 21 

trying and perilous circumstances. The rapidity of the 
advance of arts and improvements seems so great in later 
years, that the few weather-beaten pioneers who yet lin- 
ger amongst us look around them with surprise and won- 
der. The change seems so great and so sudden, that it 
appears to them like the work of supreme creating power. 
In a few years they beheld the country all laid out in 
farms and under a high state of cultivation. Instead of 
the log cabins, splendid mansions glitter in the sun ; 
roads made, over which the traveler glides along in his 
coach ; towns and cities erected, where the ingenious 
mechanic displays his arts, and the busy hum of com- 
merce salutes his ear. Eailroads formed over which the 
traveler passes with the speed of the wind ; and to crown 
the whole, artificial rivers are constructed to convey com- 
merce in every direction. The master spirits, who by 
their toils prepared the way for changes such as these, 
have in the history of their lives a degree of originality 
and interest far beyond common men. The ever varied 
scenes of their adventures and dangers, will (or should) 
always render a narrative of their lives acceptable to 
those who can relish a description of men of merit. 
Every one should feel an interest to see such names 
transmitted to latest posterity, and thereby render " honor 
to whom honor is due." 

I will borrow a few words from Mr. Doddridge's 
notes. "Is the memory of our forefathers unworthy of 
historic or sepulchral commemoration ? No people on 
earth, in similar circumstances, ever acted more nobly or 
more bravely than they did. No people of any country 
or age made greater sacrifices for the benefit of their pos- 
terity, than those which were made by the first settlers 
of the western regions. What people ever left such noble 
legacies to posterity, as those transmitted by our fore- 
fathers to their descendants ?" 

As the scene of the adventures of General Massie and 



22 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

his companions, is confined to that part of our state, 
known as the Virginia military district, I thought a brief 
account of its history would be useful and interesting. 

The state of Virginia, during the progress of the Revo- 
lutionary war, in order to engage the active services of 
her citizens, and give an ample compensation to those 
hardy officers and soldiers, who were devoting their lives 
and fortunes to the good of their country, by several acts 
of her legislature, granted them liberal bounties in new 
unappropriated lands for their services. To satisfy these 
bounties, a large tract of land was reserved in the Ken- 
tucky territory. 

Shortly after the close of the war, in order to avoid the 
confusion heretofore attendant on the careless locations 
of lands, and also to do ample justice to those interested, 
an act of the legislature was passed, authorizing certain 
deputations of officers therein named, or a certain number 
of them, from both the continental and state lines, to ap- 
point superintendents on behalf of their respective lines ; 
and also nominate two principal surveyors, to be com- 
missioned as other surveyors ; and to contract with the 
surveyors for their fees, who were authorized to select 
their own deputies with the consent of the superinten- 
dents. By a further provision of this act, the holders 
of warrants were required to place them in the 
hands of the surveyors of their respective lines by a 
specified day, and that then, the priority in the location 
of their warrants should be decided by lot. The sur- 
veyors, after these preliminary arrangements, were 
authorized to proceed to survey all the good land in that 
tract of country lying between Green and Cumberland 
rivers, as set apart by law for the officers and soldiers, 
and then to proceed to survey on the northwest side of 
the river Ohio, between the rivers Scioto and Little Mi- 
ami, until the deficiency of lands to satisfy all military 
bounties should be fully and amply made up. 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 23 

Pursuant to this act of the legislature, the deputation 
of the officers of the continental line, consisting of Major 
General Charles Scott, Brigadier General Daniel Mor- 
gan, Colonel William Heth, Lieutenant Colonel Benja- 
min Temple, and Captain Mayo Carrington, elected 
Colonel Richard C. Anderson to the office of principal 
surveyor of the bounties of lands to be entered for the 
officers and soldiers of that line. A contract dated the 
17th day of December, 1783, was also entered into be- 
tween Col. Anderson and the deputation of officers, re- 
gulating the fees of the surveyor, and other matters con- 
nected with the business. A copy of that contract, in 
the hand writing of Col. Anderson, is now before me, 
and as an old document, of much importance in its time, 
deserves notice, and is accordingly inserted.* 

* Col. Anderson's Contract. 

Be it remembered this seventeenth day of December, in the year 
of our Lord one thousand, seven hundred and eighty three, that 
Richard Clough Anderson, of the state of Virginia, for and on the 
part of himself, his heirs, executors and administrators of the first 
part, and Major General Charles Scott, Brigadier General Daniel 
Morgan, Colonel William Heth, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Tem- 
ple, and Captain Mayo Carrington, a deputation on the part of the 
officers and soldiers of the Virginia continental troops, for this pur- 
pose duly appointed ; for and on the part of the said officers and sol- 
diers, for themselves and their successors in such deputation of the 
second part, have covenanted, promised, contracted and agreed, and 
do by these presents, covenant, contract, promise, and agree ; to and 
with each other in the manner and form following, that is to say ; 

First ; — The party of the first part being elected the principal sur- 
veyor for the purpose of locating and surveying the several bounties 
of lands which have been given and granted by the General Assem- 
bly of this state to the said officers and soldiers, shall forthwith pro- 
ceed to obtain the legal qualifications for effectually executing his 
said office of principal surveyor, and having obtained such qualifica- 
tion shall proceed as early as may be on the business of locating and 
surveying the bounties of land aforesaid, for the several officers and 
soldiers entitled thereto, as original grantees of the said state, and for 
their heirs agreeable to their respective warrants, according to such 
modes and regulations as have been, or shall hereafter be, establish- 
ed by the General Assembly; faithfully, and effectually, doing and per- 
forming at every stage of the business, whatever it is customary for 
surveyors to do and perform. Secondly : — The said party of the first 



24 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

In the spring or summer of the year 1784, Colonel 
Anderson moved to Kentucky, and purchased a fine 
farm near Louisville, where he finally established his 
residence, and gave to it the appropriate name of the 
" Soldier's Retreat.'' On the 20th day of July of the 
same year, he opened his office for the purpose of having 
entries and surveys made of the lands in the Kentucky 
reservation. Previous to this, however, on the 1st day 
of March, 1784, Virginia, by her delegates, had ceded to 
the United States her territory northwest of the Ohio, as 
a common fund for the benefit of all the states, reserving 
the country lying between the Miami and Scioto rivers to 
be appropriated for the purpose of satisfying the conti- 
nental line warrants, in case the land reserved in Ken- 
tucky, would not be sufficient for that purpose. The 
deficiency of good land in Kentucky was soon discover- 
ed, and the attention of the holders of warrants and the 

part shall carry with him, and keep in service during the time of his 
being on the said business, or until discharged by the superinten- 
dents, four effective men for chain carriers, markers, and hunters, 
armed and furnished with ammunition, and also equipped with the 
necessary utensils for performing the duties aforesaid, for each deputy 
or assistant surveyor, he shall employ ; whose pay shall not exceed 
three shillings per day to be paid by the said surveyor, and he to be re- 
imbursed therefor by the parties of the second part. Thirdly : — The 
party of the first part shall, out of his own fees, pay the college dues 
which shall arise on this business, exonerating the said officers and 
soldiers therefrom. . Fourthly : — The parties of the second part, that 
is to say, the said officers and soldiers, their heirs, executors, or ad- 
ministrators, respectively pay, or cause to be paid to the party of the 
first part, his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns, the usual 
surveyor's fees, as by law established ; three shillings whereof for 
every thousand acres to be paid down at the time of lodging the war- 
rant or warrants, on which the said surveys are to be made. 

In witness whereof the said parties have hereunto interchangeably 
set their hands the date above written. 

RICHARD C. ANDERSON. 
(A copy.) DANIEL MORGAN, B. G. 

WILL. HETH, Cot. 
BENJAMIN TEMPLE, Lt. Coi, 
M. CARRINGTON, Capt. 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 25 

land speculators was turned towards the reservation north- 
west of the Ohio. 

This fine portion of our state, known and called as be- 
fore stated by the name of the Virginia military district, 
possesses from its situation and soil many advantages. 
On the east and north, its boundary is the Scioto river ; 
on the west, the greater part of the district is bounded 
by the Little Miami, while the entire southern boundary 
is washed by the Ohio, for upwards of one hundred miles. 
The soil of this tract of country presents for its extent, a 
greater variety than probably any other of the like ex- 
tent in the United States. In the southeastern portion, 
the uplands extending thirty or forty miles below the 
mouth of the Scioto, and thirty miles north from the 
Ohio, are hilly and the land poor, and at this time the 
greater part of it is vacant. Below the mouth of Brush 
creek, the hills along the Ohio, for a short distance from 
the river, are rich and heavily timbered. Farther down 
the river, the extent of rich land increases to the mouth 
of the Little Miami. The bottoms of the Ohio, Scioto, 
Miami, and the large tributary streams, composed of a 
rich and dark loamy soil, are celebrated for their fertility, 
and the heavy crops annually taken from them, for a suc- 
cession of upwards of thirty years without rest or re- 
newal in any way, show that their celebrity is not with- 
out foundation. The middle portion of the country pre- 
sents, however, the greatest variety of soil. Although 
the extent of bottom land along the streams is consider- 
able, yet the greater portion is upland of good quality, on 
which wheat is raised in great abundance. A portion of 
it is level land timbered with beech and sugar trees, which 
at the first settlement of the country was considered 
rather too flat and wet for cultivation, but since it has 
been cleared and cultivated it is justly considered first 
rate land, alone surpassed by the rich alluvial bottoms. 
A part of the middle portion consists also of prairie or 



26 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

barren land, the value of which has been lately discover- 
ed to be greater than ever was expected, as it presented, 
at the first settlement of the country, a marshy appear- 
ance, which it was not supposed could be overcome by 
cultivation. The industry of our inhabitants has over- 
come this obstacle ; and the barrens are fast becoming 
very valuable land. The other part of the district 
consists of barrens, and also of wet and flat land, 
timbered with sugar and beech trees, and is at this time 
quite unsettled. From this variety of soil great advan- 
tages arise. In our bottoms, we raise corn in great 
abundance ; in our uplands, wheat and other small grain ; 
while our barrens, or prairies, furnish most desirable 
pastures for grazing. We have thus a soil, in which an 
equal portion of the inhabitants are engaged in raising 
different articles of produce, and greatly assist each other 
by furnishing a home market for different kinds of stock 
and the produce of the soil. But to return. 

In the winter and spring of the year 1787, Major John 
O'Bannon and Arthur Fox, two enterprising surveyors 
in Kentucky, passed over into the district to obtain a 
knowledge of the country, for the purpose of making 
entries of the land, so soon as the office should be open- 
ed for that purpose. They explored with their com- 
panies the whole extent of country along the Ohio, and 
passed some distance up the Scioto and Miami rivers, 
and some of their tributary streams. On the 1st day of 
August, 1787, Colonel Anderson opened the office for 
receiving the entries of lands in the district, at which 
time entries of the bottoms of the Ohio were made, and 
also a large portion of the bottoms of the Scioto and 
Little Miami rivers. About that time, or shortly before, 
several expeditions from Kentucky made excursions into 
the district, for the purpose of destroying the Indian 
towns. Simon Kenton, a name celebrated among back- 
woodsmen, was along in almost all of these expeditions, 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 27 

and returning home attempted some entries of lands, in 
which he was not successful, on account of his want of 
sufficient skill in making them. 

So soon as it was made known to Congress, that en- 
tries had been made in the district northwest of the Ohio, 
by virtue of the continental warrants, an act was passed 
in July, 1788, by which it was resolved, that Congress 
would consider all locations and surveys made on account 
of the troops, between the Scioto and Little Miami as in- 
valid, until the deficiency on the southeast side of the 
Ohio should be ascertained and stated to Congress ; and 
the Executive of Virginia was requested to inform Con- 
gress of the deficiency, if any, and the amount of it. 
This act, together with the danger apprehended from the 
Indians, obstructed further entries and surveys in the dis- 
trict until an act of Congress, passed in August 1790, re- 
pealed the act of July 1788, which removed all difficulties 
as to the entries and surveys, previously made or subse- 
quently to be made. This act also regulated the mode 
of obtaining patents, and was amended by the act of 
1794, and other subsequent acts. 

The difficulty about the early locations of lands north- 
west of the Ohio in this district, arose from the ignorance 
of those engaged, as to the extent of jurisdiction ac- 
quired over those lands by the United States, from Vir- 
ginia, by her cession in March, 1784. This is shown 
from the fact that the governor of Virginia issued patents 
on a number of surveys in the district. These patents 
were of course void, and were subsequently cancelled, 
and patents issued by the President, under the seal of 
the United States. We will now return. 

The first excursion made by General Massie into the 
interior of the district northwest of the Ohio, was in the 
year 1788 ; but no account of the particulars of this ex- 
pedition or his companions is now known. He was pro- 
bably in company with Arthur Fox, who was at that 



28 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

time engaged in surveying lands in the district, and a 
particular friend and companion of Massie. A letter 
from his father, about this time, refers to this expedition. 

" Goochland Co. Oct. 4, 1788. 
Loving Son : — I received yours, favored by Mr. Un- 
derwood, wherein you inform me that you had made a 
trip over the Ohio ; that you had tarried there but a few 
days. I am afraid that you venture too much. Should you 
escape after doing what you have engaged, I would ad- 
vise you to drop venturing too much, &c. By your last, 
you say that you can finish all you have undertaken by 
spring. God send you a safe return, &c. I will keep 
a cask of cider till the first of April expecting to see yon, 
if God is willing. 

" I am your loving father, 

" NATHANIEL MASSIE." 

For some time, during the prohibition of entries made 
by the act of Congress, of the lands of this district, 
Massie was engaged in writing in Col. Anderson's office, 
in order to acquire a complete knowledge of the business 
of locating and surveying. His character for dispatch in 
business and enterprize gained him the friendship and 
confidence of Col. Anderson, who had the control of the 
warrants, placed in his hands by his brother officers and 
soldiers. A very large amount of these, so soon as the 
act of Congress of August, 1790, removed all further 
obstruction, he placed in the hands of Massie, to enter 
and survey on such terms as he could obtain from the 
holders of them. As the risk of making entries was 
great, and as it was desirable to possess the best land, 
the owners of warrants, in most cases, made liberal con- 
tracts with the surveyors. One fourth, one third, and 
sometimes as much as one half acquired by the entry 
of good lands were given by the proprietors to the sur- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 29 

veyors. If the owners preferred paying money, the 
usual terms were ten pounds, Virginia currency, for each 
thousand acres entered and surveyed, exclusive of chain- 
men's expenses. These terms cannot appear extrava- 
gant, when we consider, that at that time the danger en- 
countered was great, the exposure during the winter was 
severe, and that the price of first rate land in the west 
was low, and an immense quantity in market. 

The locations of land warrants in this district prior to 
1790, were made by stealth. Every creek which was 
explored, every line that was run, was at the risk of life 
from the savage Indians, whose courage and perseverance 
was only equalled by the perseverance of the whites to 
push forward their settlements. It was a contest for 
dominion : and the bravery, the stratagem, and the bold- 
ness displayed by the Indians in executing their plans, 
could only be equalled by their fearless onsets in attacks 
and their masterly retreats when defeated. 

The Indians, at this time, had among them a number 
of master spirits, and it is greatly to be regretted that the 
history of their exploits is lost forever. The patient re- 
solution and fortitude with which they contended against 
superior discipline and numbers, the wiles and stratagems 
displayed by them during their long and bloody wars, 
proved that they possessed intellectual qualities of the 
first order. Their fortitude in enduring pain, fatigue, 
and starvation, was unequalled, except by such of the 
whites as were long disciplined in the Indian school. 

Besides exposure to the Indians while surveying, the 
surveyors in the district had other difficulties to encoun- 
ter. By passing the Ohio, they placed that river between 
them and their place of retreat, in case they were defeat- 
ed and pursued. The season of the year, too, chosen 
by them for surveying was the depth of winter, as they 
were then more secure from interruption ; as the Indians 
were at that time of the year in their winter quarters, and 



30 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

when hunting were found in small bodies. Against dan- 
ger and exposure, the surveyors were without shelter in 
the district. 



CHAPTER III. 



It is now believed by many persons, that the men who 
effected our independence and those who first settled the 
western country, were more robust and hardy than the 
present race of men. This is a mistaken notion. It was 
their constant exercise of mind and body, which braced 
and invigorated their constitutions to endure the constant 
draught that was made upon them, that rendered them so 
hardy. The weak and feeble, and all such as were pre- 
disposed to disease, who ventured on the frontier in those 
days of peril and privations, soon fell by sickness, or in 
sudden retreats lost their lives by the Indian's tomahawk, 
and were no more heard of. The remnant of those 
pioneers, who still linger amongst us, are the gleaning 
of the most hardy of the original stock. Their long lives 
prove much in favor of activity and hardihood, yet for 
both qualities they were indebted to the circumstances by 
which they were surrounded : the occasion made them 
what they were. It is believed that man is, and has been, 
the same in all ages of the world. He is civilized or 
barbarous, strong and active, or weak and indolent, as are 
his companions. The habits and manners of the old 
frontier-men were a perfect state of nature, where every 
one was his own judge, and righted his own wrongs and 
was his own dependence in difficulties. It cannot now 
be conceived or believed, how soon an active, lively, and 
enterprizing young man would unlearn to practice the 
artificial rules of civilized life, and acquire the customs 
and habits of the frontier-men, or even the more ferocious 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 31 

habits of the Indians. This fact shows how much we 
are formed by custom, and also that it is only in a dense 
population, that the arts of civilized life unfold their pro- 
tecting and salutary beauties. 

With men, such as these, hardy, robust, and daring, 
and in the situation of the district as described in the 
last chapter, Massie, in the winter of the year, 1790, de- 
termined to make a settlement in it, that he might be in 
the midst of his surveying operations and secure his party 
from danger and exposure. In order to effect this, he 
gave general notice in Kentucky of his intention, and of- 
fered each of the first twenty-five families, as a donation, 
one in-lot, one out-lot, and one hundred acres of land, 
provided they would settle in a town he intended to lay 
off at his settlement. His proffered terms were soon 
closed in with, and upwards of thirty families joined 
him. After various consultations with his friends, the 
bottom on the Ohio river, opposite the lower of the 
Three Islands, was selected as the most eligible spot. 
Here, he fixed his station, and laid off into lots a town, 
now called Manchester ; at this time a small place, about 
twelve miles above Maysville, (formerly Limestone) 
Kentucky. 

This little confederacy, with Massie at the helm (who 
was the soul of it,) went to work with spirit. Cabins 
were raised, and by the middle of March, 1791, the 
whole town was enclosed with strong pickets, firmly fix- 
ed in the ground, with block houses at each angle for 
defence. 

Thus was the first settlement in the Virginia military 
district, and the fourth settlement in the bounds of the 
state of Ohio, effected. Although this settlement was 
commenced in the hottest Indian war, it suffered less 
from depredation, and even interruptions, from the In- 
dians, than any settlement previously made on the Ohio 
river. This was no doubt owing to the watchful band 



32 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

of brave spirits who guarded the place — men who were 
reared in the midst of danger and inured to perils, and as 
watchful as hawks. Here were the Beasleys, the Stouts, 
the Washburns, the Ledoms, the Edgingtons, the Den- 
ings, the Ellisons, the Utts, the McKenzies, the Wades, 
and others, who were equal to the Indians in all the arts 
and stratagems of border war. 

As soon as Massie had completely prepared his station 
for defence, the whole population went to work, and 
cleared the lower of the Three Islands, and planted it in 
corn. The island was very rich, and produced heavy 
crops. The woods, with a little industry, supplied a 
choice variety of game. Deer, elk, buffalo, bears and 
turkeys, were abundant, while the river furnished a 
variety of excellent fish. The wants of the inhabitants, 
under these circumstances, were few and easily gratified. 
Luxuries were entirely unknown, except old Mononga- 
hela double distilled. This article was in great demand 
in those days, and when obtained, freely used. Coffee 
and tea were rare articles, not much prized or sought 
after, and were only used to celebrate the birth of a new 
comer. The inhabitants of the station were generally as 
playful as kittens, and as happy in their way as their 
hearts could wish. The men spent most of their time 
in hunting and fishing, and almost every evening the 
boys and girls footed merrily to the tune of the fiddle. 
Thus was their time spent in that happy state of indo- 
lence and ease, which none but the hunter or herdsman 
state can enjoy.- They had no civil officers to settle 
their disputes, nor priests to direct their morals; yet 
amongst them crimes were of rare occurrence. Should 
any one who chanced to be amongst them, prove trouble- 
some, or disturb the harmony of the community, his 
expulsion forthwith would be the consequence ; and wo 
be to him if he again attempted to intrude himself upon 
them. 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 33 

That " there is a nobility above birth, and riches above 
wealth," was clearly manifest in the lives of the old 
pioneers. A distinguished Roman said, " the bravest 
man was the noblest man." If this position be true, the 
nobility of the frontier men remains unrivaled. That 
there M are riches above wealth," was evidenced in the 
lives of the citizens of the frontier stations. There were 
no rival grades or castes in these small communities, to 
create envy : in their society all stood on a par. Their 
minds were buoyant with hope ; and when danger was 
not apparent, they were the happiest, and of course the 
richest people on earth. 

The manners of the frontier men among themselves, 
were affectionate and familiar. They addressed each 
other by their Christian names only ; which custom still 
appears to them, the most friendly and courteous mode 
of intercourse. To one who looks back on what the 
world was then, it seems as if " money-making and sel- 
fishness had frozen up the avenues to the heart. That 
frank, friendly intercourse, which was the delight and 
honor of this land, is gone, it is feared, for ever ; and 
the cold, calculating spirit of accumulation, or the worth- 
less emulation of show and splendor, has succeeded." 

When this station was made, the nearest neighbors 
north-west of the Ohio, were the inhabitants at Colum- 
bia, a settlement below the mouth of the Little Miami, 
eig-ht miles above Cincinnati, and at Galliapolis, a French 
settlement, near the mouth of the Great Kenhawa. Look 
at the map of the State of Ohio, reader. You will 
there see the long and dreary waste, Massie and his com- 
panions, during their exploring expeditions through the 
wilderness of the present State of Ohio, had to travel, 
without roads or paths. They could not hear the agreeable 
sound of the plowman's gee -haw, nor the keen crack of 
the wagoner's or coachman's whip, nor the clink of the 
blacksmith's hammer, nor the pleasant clitter-clatter of 



34 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the mill. All was the lonely and solitary gloom of the 
dark forest. Then, too, could be seen the wide spread 
prairie, dressed in nature's gayest herbage, where the 
most beautiful and sweet scented flowers mingled in wild 
confusion, where neither bush nor tree could be seen, 
and where the blue sky appeared, in sublime grandeur, 
to lean on the outer edge of the earth, like an immense 
crystal bowl inverted. Here silence reigned with the 
stillness of death, except when broken occasionally by 
the cries of wild animals, and the appalling yell of the 
Indian. 

Massie having permanently established himself in his 
station, continued to make locations and surveys of land 
in every direction. It was during this period that many 
interesting events transpired, connected with the survey- 
ing parties. Great precaution was used while surveying, 
and the invariable rule with Massie was, to keep spies 
around him ; and if they came across fresh Indian signs, 
and the enemy appeared to be numerous, then to de- 
sist from surveying, and, like the terrapins, return to 
their cover. This precaution, though vigilantly adhered 
to, did not always prevent the surveyors from meeting 
with disasters, as will appear by the following incident. 

Early in the spring of the year 1792, Massie pro- 
ceeded to make some surveys on a small creek, which 
empties into the Ohio four miles above Manchester, 
accompanied by Israel Donalson, and two others. They 
meandered up the river to the mouth of the creek, and 
sat down on a log, not far from the bank of the river, to 
eat some junk. As they were eating and amusing them- 
selves with chit-chat, they were not a little startled to see 
seven or eight Indians walk up the bank of the river 
without their arms, having left them in their canoe at the 
mouth of the creek. Massie and his party fled. The 
Indians, yelling horridly, pursued them. When the sur- 
veying party reached the foot of the hill, they had a deep 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 35 

ravine lo cross, about ten or twelve feet wide, and as 
many in depth. Massie, and two others of his compan- 
ions, leaped the ravine ; but poor Donalson, being less 
active in making the leap, plunged into the ditch. Mas- 
sie, and the two others, soon ran to Manchester, and gave 
an account of their misfortune. He was ignorant whether 
or no Donalson was killed. Early next morning he col- 
lected twenty men, and went to the ravine, and found 
that Donalson must have been taken. The trail of the 
Indians was pursued for some distance, when it was con- 
cluded, that if the pursuit was continued, and the Indians 
were aware of it, they would immediately kill Donalson ; 
but that if they were permitted to go off unmolested, they 
would, in all probability, save his life. The pursuing 
party immediately returned to Manchester, permitting the 
Indians to pursue their course. 

Some time passed before the fate of Donalson was 
known at the station, and that was made known by his 
own sudden appearance. From his account of the affair, it 
appears the Indians had been trapping up Big Sandy 
River, and were on their return to Wapatomaka town 
(now Zanesfield), on Mad river. That the Indians had 
passed from the mouth of Big Sandy, down the Ohio, 
until they reached the mouth of the creek where they 
landed, with their canoes, and had given pursuit to the 
party. The foremost Indian, pursuing them closely, saw 
Donalson make his unfortunate plunge, and before he 
could recover, leaped upon him tomahawk in hand. 
Donalson instantly surrendered, and was made a prisoner. 
It was late in the evening when they took him, and they 
immediately loaded him with their peltry, and made a 
rapid march homeward. In a few days they reached the 
Chillicothe town, on the Little Miami. At this time, he 
began to think about effecting his escape, although the dif- 
ficulties against which he had to contend were great, 
owing to the extreme caution and watchfulness of the 



36 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Indians. At night they confined him in the following 
manner. They took a strong tug (a rope made of the 
raw hide of the buffalo or elk), and fastened it around his 
body, each end of the tug being tied around the body of 
an Indian. The tug was tied so tightly, that it could not 
be slipped, nor could he move to the one side or the other 
without drawing the Indian after him. It was from such 
a situation he had to extricate himself. One night, while 
the Indians were tying him after the usual manner, he 
puffed up his body to its full extent, by drawing in his 
breath ; and when they had completed the process, he 
found that there was a good deal of play in the noose of 
the tug. He laid very still until the Indians were fast 
asleep. Then, having partly undressed himself, he 
began slowly and cautiously to slip from the noose. 
After a long trial he succeeded in slipping himself out, 
and found himself once more a freeman. He instantly 
rushed to the thickets. The night was clear, and he 
could steer his course by the stars. Striking off in a 
southern direction, he traveled all night. The next day 
he fell on Harmer's old trace, and followed its course to 
the South. In two days he reached Fort Washington, 
now Cincinnati. Here he remained a few days to recruit 
himself, and then returned to his friends at Manchester, 
where he was most joyfully received, as there had been 
with them great anxiety as to his fate. The creek, at the 
mouth of which he was taken, was called after him 
" Donalson's Creek ;" which name it still retains, and 
will retain when the event which gave birth to its name, 
will be forgotten. Mr. Donalson is still living, the 
patriarch of Manchester, and is, I believe, the only one 
of the first settlers who lives there at this time. He held 
many public offices. He was a member of the conven- 
tion which formed the constitution for the State of Ohio, 
and uniformly preserved the character of an honest and 
useful man. 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASS IE. 37 

In the early part of the winter of 1791-92, Massie 
was engaged in locating and surveying the lands on 
Brush creek, as far up as the three forks, intending, as 
soon as there was less danger from the Indians, to pro- 
ceed on a larger scale. It was in the spring of the same 
year, that he was engaged in surveying the bottoms of the 
Little Miami. He had advanced up the river as far as 
the spot where the town of Xenia is now situated, with- 
out molestation. Early one morning, the party started 
out to perform the labors of the day. Massie was walk- 
ing in advance of the party, when an Indian was per- 
ceived by General William Lytle, with his gun pointed 
at Massie, and in the act of firing. Lytle, with uncom- 
mon quickness, fired, and killed the Indian. After this 
occurrence they advanced cautiously, and soon found 
themselves near an encampment of about one hundred 
and fifty Indians. The party commenced a rapid retreat, 
and were closely pursued by the Indians. The retreat 
and pursuit continued without relaxation, until the party 
safely reached Manchester, or, as it was then called, 
Massie's station. 

During the winter of 1792-93, Massie continued to 
locate and survey the best land within a reasonable dis- 
tance of the station. As the Indians were always more 
quiet during the winter, he employed two men, Joseph 
Williams and one of the Wades, to accompany him to 
explore the valley of Paint creek, and part of the Scioto 
country. He found the bottoms rich beyond his expec- 
tations, and made entries of all the good land on that 
creek. During that expedition, Kenton, Helm, and 
others, who had accompanied the various detachments 
from Kentucky, which had invaded the country, made a 
few entries, but the large bulk of rich land was still 
vacant. 

In the spring of the year 1793, the settlers at Man- 
chester commenced clearing the out-lots of the town ; 



38 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

and while so engaged, an incident of much interest and 
excitement occurred. Mr. Andrew Ellison, one of the 
settlers, cleared a lot immediately adjoining the fort. 
He had completed the cutting of the timber, rolled the 
logs together and set them on fire. The next morning, a 
short time before daybreak, Mr. Ellison opened one of 
the gates of the fort, and went out to throw his logs to- 
gether. By the time he had finished this job, a number 
of the heaps blazed up brightly, and as he was passing 
from one to the other, he observed, by the light of the 
fires, three men walking briskly towards him. This did 
not alarm him in the least, although, he said, they were 
dark skinned fellows ; yet he concluded they were the 
Wades, whose complexions were very dark, going early 
to hunt. He continued to right his log-heaps, until one 
of the fellows seized him by the arms, and called out in 
broken English, " How do? how do ?" He instantly 
looked in their faces, and to his surprise and horror, 
found himself in the clutches of three Indians. To re- 
sist was useless. He therefore submitted to his fate, 
without any resistance or an attempt to escape. 

The Indians quickly moved off with him in the direc- 
tion of Paint creek. When breakfast was ready, Mrs. 
Ellison sent one of her children to ask their father home ; 
but he could not be found at the log-heaps. His absence 
created no immediate alarm, as it was thought he might 
have started to hunt after the completion of his work. 
Dinner time arrived, and Ellison not returning, the family 
became uneasy, and began to suspect some accident had 
happened to him. His gun-rack was examined, and there 
hung his rifle and his pouch in their usual place. Massie 
raised a party, and made a circuit around the place, and 
found, after some search, the trails of four men, one of 
whom had on shoes ; and as Ellison had shoes on, the 
truth, that the Indians had made him a prisoner, was un- 
folded. As it was almost night at the time the trail was 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 39 

discovered, the party returned to the station. Next 
morning, early preparations were made by Massie and 
his party to pursue the Indians. In doing this they found 
great difficulty, as it was so early in the spring that the 
vegetation was not of sufficient growth to show plainly 
the trail of the Indians, who took the precaution to keep 
on hard and high land, where their feet could make little 
or no impression. Massie and his party, however, were 
as unerring as a pack of well trained hounds, and follow- 
ed the trail to Paint creek, when they found the Indians 
gained so fast on them, that pursuit was vain. They 
therefore abandoned it, and returned to the station. 

The Indians took their prisoner to Upper Sandusky, 
and compelled him to run the gauntlet. As Ellison was 
a large man and not very active, he received a severe 
flogging as he passed along the line. From this place he 
was taken to Lower Sandusky, and was again compelled 
to run the gauntlet, and was then taken to Detroit, where 
he was generously ransomed by a British officer for one 
hundred dollars. He was shortly afterwards sent by his 
friend, the officer, to Montreal, from whence he returned 
home before the close of the summer of the same 
year. 

Another incident connected with the station at Man- 
chester, occurred shortly after this time, which, although 
somewhat out of order as to time, I will take the liberty 
to relate in this place. 

John Edgington, Asahel Edgington, and another man 
started out on a hunting expedition towards Brush creek. 
They camped out six miles in a northeast direction from 
where West Union now stands, and near where Treber's 
tavern is now situated, on the road from Chillicothe to 
Maysville. The Edgingtons had good success in hunt- 
ing, having killed a number of deer and bears. Of the 
deer killed, they saved the skins and hams alone. The 
bears, they fleeced ; that is, they cut off all the meat 



40 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

which adhered to the hide without skinning, and left the 
bones as a skeleton. They hung up the proceeds of 
their hunt on a scaffold, out of the reach of the wolves 
and other wild animals, and returned home for pack 
horses. No one returned to the camp with the two 
Edgingtons. As it was late in December, no one ap- 
prehended danger, as the winter season was usually a 
time of repose from Indian incursions. When the 
Edgingtons arrived at their old hunting camp, they 
alighted from their horses and were preparing to strike a 
fire, when a platoon of Indians fired upon them, at the 
distance of not more than twenty paces. Asahel Edging- 
ton fell to rise no more. John was more fortunate. The 
sharp crack of the rifles and the horrid yells of the In- 
dians, as they leaped from their place of ambush, fright- 
ened the horses, who took the track towards home at 
full speed. John Edgington was very active on foot, and 
now an occasion offered which required his utmost speed. 
The moment the Indians leaped from their hiding place, 
they threw down their guns and took after him. They 
pursued him screaming and yelling in the most horrid 
manner. Edgington did not run a booty race. For about 
a mile the Indians stepped in his tracts almost before the 
bending grass could rise. The uplifted tomahawk was fre- 
quently so near his head, that he thought he felt its edge. 
Every effort was made to save his life, and every exertion 
of the Indians was made to arrest him in his flight. Edging- 
ton, who had the greatest stake in the race, at length be- 
gan to gain on his pursuers, and after a long race, he 
distanced them, made his escape, and safely reached 
home. This, truly, was a most fearful and well contested 
race. The big Shawnee chief, Captain John, who head- 
ed the Indians on this occasion, after peace was made 
and Chillicothe settled, frequently told the writer of this 
sketch of the race. Captain John said, that " the white 
man who ran away was a smart fellow, that the white 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 41 

man run and I run, he run and run, at last, the white 
man run clear off from me." 



CHAPTER IV. 



A person engaged in writing upon a particular subject 
will, as a matter of course, within the range of his in- 
formation, collect a mass of materials, from which it will 
be his duty to select the most useful and interesting. To 
do this, however, with skill sufficient to please the ma- 
jority of his readers, is a difficult task. A person usual- 
lv writes upon subjects about which he has bestowed 
much thought, and in which he feels a deep interest. 
Of course, matters which appear to him of great impor- 
tance, he will discover frequently to be overlooked by 
the generality of readers. Of such treatment he must 
not complain, but, on the contrary, he must strengthen 
himself by a large share of independence, which will 
make him write with a consciousness, that his narrative 
will meet with a kind reception from the intelligent, and 
that it will be found useful for the future. 

Such is my situation in writing this sketch. I know 
that many things I have written may not entertain, yet I 
believe them to be useful facts and have inserted them. 
From this cause, and as I am writing the life of the most 
extensive surveyor and land speculator with us in early 
times, I shall take the liberty to describe the method by 
which the titles to lands in the Virginia military district 
were acquired and perfected, and also the method by 
which surveying was actually conducted in our wild 
country. 

I have said above, that the lands in this district were 
entered and surveyed by virtue of military land warrants 
issued by the state of Virginia to her officers and sol- 



42 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

diers of the continental line. These warrants were issued 
to satisfy bounties, promised by various acts of her legis- 
lature to these officers and soldiers, and prescribed the 
amount of land to which each person should be entitled, 
according to rank in the army and the time of actual 
service. Each person after the expiration of the time of 
service, received from the governor and council a certi- 
ficate of his rank in the army, the length of time of service 
and the number of acres to which he was entitled, which 
certificate was filed with the register of the land office, 
and a warrant on printed paper and under the seal of the 
office, was issued to the owner. In many cases, war- 
rants issued by virtue of special acts or resolutions of 
the Assembly, and were usually known, on this ac- 
count, as resolution warrants. A warrant is merely a 
direction and authority given to the principal surveyor 
of land to survey and lay off, in one or more surveys for 
the person entitled, his heirs, or assigns, the given quan- 
tity of acres specified in the warrant. These warrants 
when issued were delivered to the owners, who were re- 
quired to file them with the principal surveyor, and pay 
him a certain fee for receiving them. When filed they 
at first took their legal order in location. 

The holders of warrants were at liberty to locate them, 
yet as they were unacquainted with the vacant land, they 
usually employed the deputy surveyors, as their agents, 
to enter and survey them, on certain agreed, or well 
known terms. 

The first step taken towards the acquisition of land by 
a warrant is by means of an entry. An entry is the ap- 
propriation of a certain quantity of vacant land by the 
owner of the warrant. It is made in a book kept by the 
surveyor for that purpose, and contains the quantity of 
acres intended to be appropriated, the number of the 
warrant on which it is entered, and then calls for some 
specific, notorious, and permanent object or objects by 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 43 

which the locality of the land may be known, and usual- 
ly concludes with a general description of the courses to 
be pursued in a survey of it. This particularity was 
required, that every person holding a warrant might be 
enabled, without interfering with the prior locations of 
others, to locate his own warrant, and this could not be 
done with safety in a wild country, unless prior entries 
were made with sufficient certainty as to their notoriety. 
The defect of entries, in this particular, has given rise 
to a greater amount of litigation in land titles, than any 
other cause whatever. 

Next, in order, came the survey, which is intended to 
give a certain and regular form to the entry, by metes 
and bounds actually marked, and established by the sur- 
veyor. The great requisite with the survey was a con- 
formity to a just and reasonable construction of the entry, 
as to the land intended to be appropriated by it. A want 
of conformity, in this respect, rendered the survey de- 
fective as to all lands without the calls of the entry. Sur- 
veys, when made, were returned to the general surveyor 
with a fair plat of each particular tract of land, and a 
description of the same by metes and bounds, and was 
signed by the deputies who executed them, together with 
the names of the chain-men and markers annexed, who 
made each survey. The surveys were then recorded, 
and the plats, with a certificate from the surveyor under 
his seal of office delivered to the owner, together with 
the original warrant and the assignments, if any, if the 
warrant was satisfied ; if it was not, then a copy of the 
warrant and certificate from the surveyor of the fact that 
the warrant was still unsatisfied. The owner of each 
survey could then obtain a patent for his land from the 
President of the United States. 

The system of entering and surveying lands, in the 
irregular manner we find in this district, was adopted 
from the Virginia and Kentucky land system. In these 



44 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

states, great inconvenience and litigation, have been the 
result of it. The unsettled situation of the country, the 
unbounded rage for speculation, and the immense quan- 
tity of land warrants afloat, and the little value attached 
by Virginia to her lands, all combined to make land titles 
hazardous in the extreme, and was the cause of much 
innocent suffering. In this district, although much liti- 
gation has resulted from this system, yet the surprise is, 
when we consider the unsettled state of the country at 
the time entries and surveys were made, that it has not 
been greater. This may, in a great measure, be attribu- 
ted to the minute attention, the uniformity, and ability of 
Col. Anderson in the discharge of his duties, and the ex- 
perience of his deputies, and their great confidence in 
each other. Yet, under all circumstances, this may be 
called a defective system, especially when we compare it 
with the simple, the regular, and admirable system adopted 
by the United States, in their surveys of public lands. 

The plan adopted by Massie, in his various surveying 
excursions at that time, was such as to secure safety to 
the party. Three assistant surveyors, with himself ma- 
king the fourth, were generally engaged at the same time 
in making surveys. To each surveyor was attached six 
men, which made a mess of seven. Every man had his 
prescribed duty to perform. Their operations were con- 
ducted in this manner : — In front went the hunter, who 
kept in advance of the surveyor two or three hundred 
yards, looking for game, and prepared to give notice 
should any danger from Indians threaten. Then follow- 
ed, after the surveyor, the two chain-men, marker, and 
pack-horse men with the baggage, who always kept near 
each other, to be prepared for defence in case of an at- 
tack. Lastly, two or three hundred yards in the rear, 
came a man, called the spy, whose duty it was to keep on 
the back trail, and look out lest the party in advance 
might be pursued and attacked by surprise. Each man 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 45 

(the surveyor not excepted) carried his rifle, his blanket, 
and such other articles as he might stand in need of. On 
the pack-horse was carried the cooking utensils, and such 
provisions as could be conveniently taken. Nothing like 
bread was thought of. Some salt was taken, to be used 
sparingly. For subsistence, they depended alone on the 
game which the woods afforded, procured by their un- 
erring rifles. In this manner was the largest number of 
surveys made in the district. But to return. 

In the fall of the year 1793, Massie determined to 
attempt a surveying tour on the Scioto river. This, at 
that time, was a very dangerous undertaking; yet no 
danger, unless very imminent, could deter him from ma- 
king the attempt. For that purpose, he employed about 
thirty men, of whom he choose three as assistant survey- 
ors. These were John Beasley, Nathaniel Beasley, and 
Peter Lee. It was in this expedition, Massie employed, 
for the first time, a young man by the name of Duncan 
McArthur as a chain-man or marker. This man had dis- 
tinguished himself remarkably on several occasions, and 
particularly in Harmer's unfortunate expedition. He was 
one of the best woodsmen of his age. He was a large, 
strong, and muscular man, capable of enduring fatigue 
and privations, equal to the best trained Indians. His 
murage was unquestioned, to which was added an en- 

getic mind, which soon displayed its powers. He after- 
wards became a surveyor, and was one of the most acute 
1 nd speculators in the western country. Such a man 
Massie desired to have on an expedition of this char- 
I -ter. 

In the month of October, some canoes were procured, 
and Massie and his party set off by water. They pro- 
ceeded up the Ohio to the mouth of the Scioto, thence 
up the Scioto to the mouth of Paint creek. While mean- 
dering the Scioto, they made some surveys on the bot- 
toms. After reaching the mouth of Paint creek, the sur- 
4 



46 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

veyors went to work. Many surveys were made on the 
Scioto, as far up as Westfall. Some were made on 
Main, and others on the North Fork of Paint creek, and 
the greatest parts of Ross and Pickaway counties in the 
district were well explored and partly surveyed. Massie 
finished his intended work without meeting with any dis- 
turbance from the Indians. But one Indian was seen 
during the excursion, and to him they gave a hard chase. 
He, however, escaped. The party returned home de- 
lighted with the rich country of the Scioto valley, which 
they had explored. 

During the winter of 1793-4, Massie, in the midst 
of the most appalling dangers, explored the different 
branches to their sources, which run into the Little Mia- 
mi river, and thence passed in a northeastern direction to 
the heads of Paint and Clear creeks, and the branches 
that form those streams. By these expeditions he had 
formed from personal observation, a correct knowledge 
of the geographical situation of the country composing 
the Virginia military district. 

During, the winter of 1794-5, Massie prepared a party 
to enter largely into the surveying business. Nathaniel 
Beasley, John Beasley, and Peter Lee were again em- 
ployed as the assistant surveyors. The party set off 
from Manchester well equipped to prosecute their busi- 
ness, or should occasion offer give battle to the Indians. 
They took the route of Logan's trace, and proceeded to a 
place called the deserted camp, on Tod's fork of the 
Little Miami. At this point, they commenced surveying, 
and surveyed large portions of land on Tod's fork, and up 
the Miami to the Chillicothe town, (now in Clark coun- 
ty) thence up Massie's creek and Caesar's creek nearly 
to their heads. By the time the party had progressed 
thus far, winter had set in. The ground was covered 
with a sheet of snow, from six to ten inches deep. Du- 
ring the tour, which continued upwards of thirty days, 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 47 

the party had no bread. For the first two weeks, a pint 
of flour was distributed to each mess once a day, to 
mix with the soup, in which the meat had been boiled. 
When night came, four fires were made for cooking, that 
is, one for each mess. Around these fires, till sleeping 
time arrived, the company spent their time in the most 
social glee, singing songs and telling stories. When 
danger was not apparent or immediate, they were as 
merry a set of men as ever assembled. Resting time ar- 
riving, Massie always gave the signal, and the whole 
party would then leave their comfortable fires, carrying 
with them their blankets, their fire-arms, and their little 
baggage, walking in perfect silence two or three hundred 
yards from their fires. They would then scrape away 
the snow, and huddle down together for the night. Each 
mess formed one bed, they would spread down on the 
ground one half of the blankets, reserving the other half 
for covering. The covering blankets were fastened to- 
gether by skewers to prevent them from slipping apart. 
Thus prepared, the whole party crouched down together 
with their rifles in their arms, and their pouches under 
their heads for pillows ; laying spoon-fashion, with three 
heads one way and four the other, their feet extending 
to about the middle of their bodies. When one turned, 
the whole mess turned, or else the close range would be 
broken and the cold let in. In this way, they lay till 
broad day light ; no noise and scarce a whisper being 
uttered during the night. When it was perfectly light, 
Massie would call up two of the men in whom he had 
the most confidence, and send them to reconnoiter, 
and make a circuit around the fires, lest an ambuscade 
might be formed by the Indians to destroy the party 
as they returned to the fires. This was' an invari- 
able custom in every variety of weather. Self-preserva- 
tion required this circumspection. If immortality is due 
to the names of heroes who have successfully labored in 



48 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the field of battle, no less honors are due to such men as 
Massie, who ran equal risk of life from danger with less 
prospect of eclat, and produced more lasting benefit to 
the country. 

Massie proceeded to survey up Caesar's creek, nearly 
to where its waters interlock with the waters of Paint 
creek. Late one evening, he came upon the tracks of 
Indians in the snow. Some of his men were despatched 
to search out the Indian encampment, while others were 
sent in pursuit of the assistant surveyors, in order to col- 
lect the force into one body, that he might be prepared 
to attack or defend as circumstances might direct. A 
short time before sun-down, his force was collected. In 
a few minutes after, the two men returned who had been 
sent to discover the Indian camp. They reported, that 
they had proceeded as near the Indian encampment as 
they could with safety, and that it consisted of eight or 
ten tents, and that from the noise about the camp, they 
had no doubt but that there was a large number of In- 
dians. Massie, thereupon, concluded that it would be 
too hazardous to attack them while the snow was on the 
ground, believing it would endanger the whole party 
if they would be compelled to retreat, encumbered with 
any wounded. He therefore resolved to desist from sur- 
veying, and make a rapid retreat to his own station, not 
doubting but that he would be pursued, as the Indians 
would have no difficulty in tracking them through the 
snow. The line of march was formed for home by the 
party, who traveled until ten or eleven o'clock at night, 
when they halted and remained until morning, when 
they again resumed their march, moving in a southern 
direction. About twelve o'clock, they came to a fresh 
trail, which was made by four horses and eight or ten 
footmen. This trail was crossed diagonally, and was 
again struck upon after traveling a few miles. After a 
consultation with some of the most experienced of his 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 49 

men, Massie concluded the Indians, whose trail had been 
crossed, knew nothing of them, and determined to pur- 
sue them so long as they kept the direction in which 
they appeared then to be going. The pursuit of the In- 
dians was kept up as fast as the men could walk, until 
dusk without overtaking them. The party then halted to 
consult as to their future operations. In a few minutes, 
the Indians were heard at work with their tomahawks, 
cutting wood and tent poles, within a few hundred yards 
of the place where the party had halted. It was put to 
vote, whether the Indian camp should be attacked imme- 
diately, or whether they should postpone it to day-light. 
•A majority were for lying by and attacking them in day- 
light. Two or three men were then sent to reconnoiter 
their camp and bring away their horses. The horses 
were brought away, and preparations made to lie by 
for the night. Massie, who was more thoughtful than 
the rest of the company, began to reflect on the critical 
situation of the party. He told them, he did not approve 
of the idea of lying by until morning, as there was no 
doubt they were rapidly pursued by the Indians from the 
head of Caesar's creek, and that by waiting until morn- 
ing, the pursuing Indians might come up in the course 
of the night, and when day-light appeared, they would 
find themselves between two fires. He said it was true 
the Indians might be destroyed more effectually in day- 
light, but that it was dangerous to loiter away their time 
on a retreat, and advised that whatever they did to the 
Indians should be done quickly, and the march continued 
towards home. It was resolved to follow his advice. 

It was about two hours in the night when this occur- 
red. The day had been warm, and had melted the snow 
which was eight inches deep, and quite soft on the top. 
At night it began to freeze rapidly, and by this time there 
was a hard crust on the top. In this situation, the crust 
when broken by a man walking on a calm night could be 



50 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

heard at the distance of three hundred yards. Massie, 
under these circumstances prepared to attack the Indians 
forthwith. The men were formed in a line, in single file, 
with their wiping sticks in their hands, to steady them 
when walking. They then commenced moving towards 
the Indian camp in the following manner : — the foremost 
would walk about twenty steps, and halt ; then the next 
in the line would move on, stepping in the tracks of the 
foremost, to prevent any noise when breaking the crust 
of the snow. In this cautious and silent manner, they 
crept within about twenty-five yards of the Indian en- 
campment, when an unexpected interruption presented 
itself; a deep ravine was found between Massie and the 
camp which was not perceived by the reconnoitering 
party. The Indians had not as yet laid down to rest, 
but were singing and amusing themselves round their 
fires, in the utmost self-security, not dreaming of danger 
in their own country, in the depth of winter. The bank 
of the ravine concealed Massie and his men, who were 
on low ground, from the light of the Indian fires. After 
halting a few minutes on the bank of the ravine, Massie 
discovered, a few paces above him, a large log which 
had fallen across the ravine. On this log he determin- 
ed to cross the gully. Seven or eight of the men, on 
their hands and knees, had crossed, and were within not 
more than twelve or fifteen paces of the Indians, crouch- 
ing low, and turning to the right and left, when too many 
men at the same time got on the log ; and as it was old 
and rotten, it broke with a loud crash. This started the 
Indians. The whites, who had crossed over before the 
log broke, immediately fired into the Indian camp, shout- 
ing as they run. The Indians fled, naked, and without 
their arms. No Indian was killed in the camp, although 
their clothing and blankets were found stained with 
blood. No attempt was made to pursue them. Their 
camp was plundered of the horses and arms, making al- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 51 

together considerable booty. The party traveled that 
night and until noon the next day, when they halted to 
cook some provisions, and rest their wearied limbs. 
After taking some refreshments, they loitered about the 
fires a short time, and again commenced their march 
through snow and brush, and about midnight of the sec- 
ond day, arrived at Manchester, after a fatiguing march 
of two days and nights from the head of Caesar's creek. 
On the last day of their march, about a mile north of 
where West Union now stands, one of the men who 
carried a bag of Indian plunder, and rode one of the 
horses, dropped the bag, and did not miss it until they 
arrived at Manchester. Sometime in the succeeding day, 
two of the men took fresh horses, and rode back on the 
trail, to look for the bag. They found the bag some dis- 
stance south of the brow of the hill, and concluded they 
would go to the brow and look over for deer. When 
they reached it, they were astonished to find the spot 
where a large party of Indians had followed the trail to 
the top of the hill, and there stopped to eat their break- 
fast, leaving some bones and sinewy jirk, that was too 
hard to eat. Had the Indians pursued the trail one hun- 
dred yards farther, they would have found the bag, and 
laid in ambush for the whites to return, and would doubt- 
less have killed or taken the men who returned for the 
bag. This was truly a narrow escape. 



CHAPTER V. 



The winter of 1794-95 was attended by no disturb- 
ances from the Indians, as the defeat they had sustained 
the summer before from General Wayne, had completely 
checked them in their depredations. In the spring of 
1795, Massie again prepared a party to return to the 



52 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

waters of the Little Miami, Paint creek, and the Scioto, 
for the purpose of surveying. He employed three 
assistant surveyors, with the usual complement of men. 
Every man carried, as usual in these surveying tours, his 
own baggage on his back. No one, indeed, was exempt 
from this service ; and when the weight is taken into 
consideration, and the encumbrance from it, there seems 
to be little ground for the complaints, which have latterly 
been made, about the inaccuracies of early surveys. In- 
deed, it is really astonishing, how they could be made so 
accurate as they are found to be. 

Early in March the party set off from Manchester. 
The weather was fine, and the spring appeared to have 
commenced in earnest. Massie commenced surveying 
on the west fork of Ohio Brush creek. The woods then 
furnished game in great abundance, such as turkeys and 
bears, of the finest quality. A description of the 
method in which bears were taken, although familiar to 
the old backwoodsmen, will be perhaps interesting to 
their descendants, as these animals have become scarce 
since the settlement of the country. It is well known 
that bears retire to the hollows of rocks or trees, about 
the last of December, and remain in a dormant state until 
the winter breaks, be it early or late. When the weather 
becomes warm, they will bustle out of their holes to the 
nearest water, once in two or three days. In walking 
from their holes to the water, they are careful to step in 
the same track ; and as the earth at that season of the 
year is soft and spongy, the feet of the bear, in passing 
and repassing, make a' deep impression. These impres- 
sions are called by the old hunters, " the bear's stepping- 
place." When the hunter finds the stepping-place, he 
can easily follow the track, until he finds the tree in the 
hollow of which, or in some cave or hole in the rocks, 
the animal lies at ease. They are then, by various 
means used, driven from their holes, and shot. During 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 53 

this expedition, a young man, by the name of Bell, who 
was very active in climbing trees, exhibited great bold- 
ness in driving them from their holes. When a bear was 
tracked to a tree, this man, when the tree was not very 
large and smooth, would climb up and look into the hole, 
and punch the bear with a sharp stick until it would come 
out. Bears at this season are very lazy and difficult to 
move. By punching them, however, for some time, 
they will move heavily to their holes, and slowly drag 
themselves out. As soon as they were clear of their 
holes, some one or two picked marksmen would shoot 
them. Bell, so soon as he would provoke the bears to 
come out, would slip out on a limb, and wait with perfect 
composure until the marksmen would shoot them. These 
feats are specimens of Bell's daring. He was, altogether, 
one of the most hardy, fearless, and thoughtless men of 
danger, I ever saw. In this way numerous bears were 
found and killed. The fat part of the meat, boiled or 
roasted with turkey or venison, makes a very luxurious 
repast. But to return. 

The weather, for some time, continued quite pleasant, 
while the party surveyed towards the head waters of 
Brush creek. They thence passed to the Rocky and 
Rattlesnake forks of Paint creek ; thence crossing Main 
Paint, they passed up Buckskin, and across to " the old 
town/' on the north point of Paint creek. While sur- 
veying in this section of the country, the weather became 
cloudy, and commenced snowing and hailing. The snow 
continued to fall and drift for two days and nights ; and 
when it ceased, the ground was covered between two and 
three feet deep. The camp was on the ground, at this 
time the farm of Colonel Adam Mallow, four miles above 
Old town (or Frankfort, as it is now called.) About the 
time it ceased snowing, the weather became warm, and a 
soft rain fell for a short time. Suddenly it became in- 
tensely cold, accompanied by a frost, which soon formed 



54 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

a strong crust on the snow, which had been previously- 
softened by the rain. The snow, although somewhat 
settled by the rain, was at least two feet deep, with a 
crust that would bear about half the weight of a man. 
This was the deepest snow I ever saw, before or since, 
in the western country. The turkeys, and other small 
game, could run on the crust of snow, which disabled 
the hunters from pursuing and killing game ; and as the 
party had no provisions with them, the doleful prospect 
of death by starvation stared them in the face. 

This tour was subsequently called the starving tour ; 
and the remnant of those who are on this side of the 
grave, yet remember with horror their situation at that 
time. The prudence exercised by them heretofore, of 
sleeping away from their fires, was not attended to. The 
party lay around their fires by day and night, anxiously- 
praying for a change in the weather. Some of the 
strongest and most spirited among the party, several 
times made ineffectual attempts to kill game. Among 
these hunters, General Duncan McArthur, of Fruit hill, 
near Chillicothe, and William Leedom, of Adams county, 
were conspicuous. On the third day of the storm, they 
killed two turkeys. They were boiled, and divided into 
twenty-eight shares or parts, and given equally to each 
man. This little food seemed only to sharpen their 
appetites. Not a particle of the turkeys was left. The 
heads, feet, and entrails, were devoured, as if most 
savory food. 

The fourth morning of the continuance of the snow, 
Massie, with his party, turned their faces homeward. 
The strongest and most hardy of the men were placed 
in front, to break through the snow. This was a fatiguing 
and laborious business, and was performed alternately by 
the most spirited and strongest of the party. They thus 
proceeded in their heavy and disconsolate march the 
whole day, and at night reached the mouth of the Rattle- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 55 

snake fork of Paint creek, a distance of about ten miles. 
In the course of that day the sun shone through the 
clouds, for the first time since the storm commenced, and 
by its warmth softened the crust on the snow. This 
rendered the traveling less laborious. As the party 
descended the sloping ground towards the bank of Paint 
creek, they came across a flock of turkeys, and killed 
several. These were cooked, and equally divided among 
the men. That night the party lay by their fires without 
guards or sentinels ; and as the night was warm, the 
snow gradually melted. Early next morning the most 
of the party turned out to hunt, and killed a number 
of turkeys, some deer, and a bear. When these were 
brought to camp, a feast ensued, which was enjoyed 
with a zest and relish, which none can properly appre- 
ciate, but those who have been so unfortunate as to be 
placed in a similar situation. 

The writer of this narrative accompanied General 
Massie on this tour, and had previously passed through 
many trying and distressing scenes ; but the hardships 
and privations of this tour were the most trying to the 
firmness, resolution, and fortitude of men, he ever saw or 
experienced. Only reflect, reader, on the critical situation 
of twenty-eight men, exposed to the horrors of a terrible 
snow-storm in the wilderness, without hut, tent, or cov- 
ering, and, what was still more appalling, without provi- 
sion, without any road or even a track to retreat on, and 
nearly one hundred miles from any friendly aid or place 
of shelter, exposed to the truly tremendous and pitiless 
peltings of a storm of four days continuance, and you 
can fancy to yourself some faint idea of the sufferings of 
this party. 

Although more than forty years have passed, I can 
scarcely think of our sufferings, even at this length of 
time, without shuddering. The people of the present 
time, who now inhabit our western country, and are 



56 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

sheltered from tempestuous storms in comfortable and 
elegant mansions, and are blessed with peace and plenty, 
can scarcely appreciate the sufferings and privations of 
those who led the way in settling our western country. 
Under all the hardships of this tour, Massie always 
showed a cheerful face, and encouraged his men to hope 
for better times. Nothing like despondency ever clouded 
his brow, nor did his good humor forsake him during 
the gloom and despair of this trying occasion. 

The storm being passed, fine weather and plenty 
ensued, and the party again went cheerfully to work. 
Massie surveyed all the land he at first designed, and 
returned to Manchester without any adventure worthy 
of relation. 

The summer of the year 1795 passed off without any 
disturbance from the Indians. This was doubtless owing 
to the check given them, the summer previous, by Gen- 
eral Wayne ; and also from the fact, that they were at 
that time stipulating with General Wayne a treaty of 
peace. Although not much faith was placed in Indian 
treaties, yet the settlements of the whites began to extend 
from the town of Manchester into the country. Massie 
sold a large amount of land to actual settlers upon credit, 
and many cabins were raised along the Ohio, and on 
Brush and Eagle creeks ; but they were uninhabited 
from the fear of the Indians. 

The fertility of the soil on Paint creek and throughout 
the Scioto valley, began to attract the attention of many 
Kentuckians to that quarter of the country. As General 
Massie had, some years previously, entered and surveyed 
the land in that section of the country, and was the 
owner of large tracts of first-rate land, he determined, at 
all hazards, to attempt a settlement at some spot in the 
Scioto valley, whether the attempt would result in peace 
or war. For the purpose of attracting settlers, he issued 
a notice, that he intended to lay off a town at some ad- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 57 

vanta'geous site on the Scioto river ; and offered as a 
donation to the first one hundred settlers, one in-lot and 
one out-lot of four acres in the town, provided they would 
build a cabin on their lot, or otherwise become perma- 
nent settlers of the town or its vicinity. 

This notice soon attracted the attention of several 
respectable citizens of Kentucky. Among these were 
Captain Petty, an old soldier, and the Reverend Robert 
W. Finley. A party was soon raised to explore the 
country and select the situation of the town. A short 
and correct description of this expedition is given by an 
anonymous writer, over the initials of " F. B." in the 
Western Christian Advocate, of June 13th, 1834, which 
is in all probability from the pen of the Reverend J. B. 
Finley, now or lately a presiding elder of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and the son of the Reverend Robert 
W. Finley. I take the liberty of making an extract from 
that piece, as it is connected with the subject. 

"In the year 1795, while Wayne was in treaty with 
the Indians, a company came out from Manchester on the 
Ohio river, to explore the north-western territory, and 
especially the valley of the Scioto. General Massie was 
in this little band. After proceeding several days cau- 
tiously, they fell on Paint creek, near the falls. Here 
they found fresh Indian signs, and had not traveled far 
before they heard the bells on the horses. Some of the 
company were what was called raw hands, and previous 
to this wanted much ' to smell Indian powder.' One of 
the company, who had fought in the revolutionary war, 
and also with the Indians, said to one of these vaunting 
fellows, ' If you do, you will run, or I am mistaken.' 
A council was now called. Some of the most expe- 
rienced thought it was too late to retreat, and thought 
it best to take the enemy by surprise. General Mas- 
sie, Fallenach, and R. W. Finley, were to lead on the 
company, and Captain Petty was to bring up the 



58 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

rear. The Indians were encamped on Paint creek, 
precisely at what is called Reeve's crossing. They came 
on them by surprise, and out of forty men, about twenty 
of them fought. Those fellows who wanted to smell 
powder so much, ran the other way, and hid behind logs, 
and Captain Petty reported afterwards that they had the 
ague, they were so much affrighted. The battle was 
soon ended in favor of the whites, for the Indians fled 
across the creek, and left all they had but their guns. 
Several were killed and wounded, and one white man, a 
Mr. Robinson, was shot through the body, and died im- 
mediately. These Indians had one male prisoner with 
them, who made his escape to the whites, and was 
brought home to his relatives. As soon as the company 
could gather up all the horses and skins, and other plun- 
der, they retreated for the settlement at Manchester, on 
the Ohio river. Night overtook them on the waters of 
Scioto Brush creek, and as they expected to be followed 
by the Indians, they made preparation for the skirmish. 
The next morning, an hour before day, the attack was 
made with vigor on the part of the Indians, and resisted 
as manfully by a few of the whites. There being a sink- 
hole near, those bragging cowards got down into it, to 
prevent the balls from hitting them. Several horses were 
killed, and one man, a Mr. Gilfillan, shot through the 
thigh. After an hour's contest, the Indians retreated ; 
and the company arrived at the place they started from, 
having lost one man, and one man wounded. Thus ended 
the exploring of the valley of the Scioto this year. 

11 In this expedition, our fellow citizen, the late Gen- 
eral James Menury, was present, and sustained through- 
out his character of a brave man, being one of the first 
to engage with the enemy. This was the last Indian 
fight during the old Indian war. 

" The fall and winter of 1795 passed off without any 
thing worthy of note taking place in the settlement. 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 59 

General Wayne had concluded a treaty of peace with the 
Indians, which was looked upon rather as a truce than a 
permanent peace. Numerous treaties of peace had been 
made with them during this long and bloody war, which 
treaties lasted no longer than till an opportunity offered 
to make some successful assaults upon the whites. In- 
deed, the whites themselves, at that day, were not very 
scrupulous of violating the terms of treaties, both parties 
being exasperated against each other, on account of the 
many horrid massacres which had reciprocally taken 
place in a border war of thirty years. But, fortunately 
for the whites, Wayne seemed to have turned in earnest 
the spirit of the Indians, as the treaty of Grenville re- 
mained inviolate, with a very few exceptions, until 
1812." 

This was the last Indian fight on the waters of the 
Scioto river. 

Notwithstanding that I was born and raised on the 
frontier, I am unable to describe to the life, the terror, 
tumult, and confusion of an Indian alarm. Although I 
have, when young, repeatedly run clinging to my mother's 
gown from our cabin, to a place of more safety — the con- 
fusion and distressing scene of a family in flight, their 
cabins in flames, their all destroyed, the thousand rest- 
less cares and tender sorrows, to which they were inces- 
santly exposed, language fails in describing. To see 
whole families wandering from their homes, seeking 
shelter and safety, was only a common occurrence on the 
frontier. Such scenes as these tried the worth of men, 
and proved who were the soldiers. Happily for our 
country, no repetition of such scenes of distress and 
terror, are to be anticipated in future. 



60 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 



CHAPTER VI. 

The failure of the expedition to select the situation of 
a town on the Scioto river, as related in the last chapter, 
did not deter Massie from making a further attempt. 
About the last of February or first of March, 1796, a 
party was again collected at Manchester. Some of the 
party went by water up the Ohio and Scioto, and others 
by land, and met at the mouth of Paint creek, at a place 
afterwards known as the " Station prairie." The party 
who arrived by water, brought in their boats, besides a 
few of the necessaries of life, farming utensils, and 
other articles necessary to make a permanent settlement. 

On the first day of April of that year, they landed 
their goods, commenced the construction of their cab- 
ins, and prepared for planting corn. Three hundred 
acres of rich prairie were quickly turned up by thirty 
ploughs ; and the land for the first time resounded with 
the cheerful sound of the plowman's voice. 

That season was attended by great prosperity to the 
settlers. Although they suffered, at one time, greatly 
for the want of some of the necessaries of life, yet in 
this they were soon relieved by the luxuriant crops of 
their plantation. No disturbance ensued from the Indians, 
who mixed with the whites in the most friendly manner, 
showing every disposition to preserve inviolate, the con- 
ditions of their treaty of peace. Indeed, the behavior 
of the Indians was- entirely peaceful for many years, 
unless they were excited by the cupidity of the whites, 
in selling them ardent spirits. 

While these things were transpiring at the settlement, 
Massie was engaged in making a selection for the site of 
a town, which was at last located on the Scioto river. 
That stream (the greater part of it) runs in very regular 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 61 

channel from the north almost due south. About four or 
five miles, however, above the mouth of Paint creek, the 
river suddenly makes a bend, and runs a short distance 
east, thence southeast to the mouth of Paint creek. That 
stream, the largest tributary of the Scioto, for four or five 
miles above its mouth, runs almost parallel with the 
Scioto. Between these two streams there is a large and 
beautiful bottom, four or five miles in length, and varying 
from one to two miles in breadth, and contains within 
the space upwards of three thousand acres. This bottom, 
(as also the bottoms of the Scioto and Paint creek gen- 
erally,) is very fertile ; the loam, of alluvial formation, 
being from three to ten feet in depth. These bottoms, 
when first settled, were generally covered by a heavy 
growth of timber, such as black walnut, sugar tree, 
cherry, buckeye, hackberry, and other trees which denote 
a rich soil. A portion of them, however, were found 
destitute of timber, and formed beautiful prairies, clothed 
with blue grass and blue sedge-grass, which grew to the 
height of from four to eight feet, and furnished a bounti- 
ful supply of pasture in summer and hay in winter, for 
the live stock of the settlers. The outer edges of these 
prairies were beautifully fringed around with the plum 
tree, the red and black haw, the mulberry and crab apple. 
In the month of May, when these nurseries of nature's 
God were in full bloom, the sight was completely grati- 
fied, while the fragrant and delicious perfume, which 
filled the surrounding atmosphere, was sufficient to fill 
and lull the soul with ecstasies of pleasure. 

The western boundary of this valley, between the two 
streams, is a hill, two or three hundred feet in height. 
Its base to the south is closely washed by Paint creek, 
and when this stream first enters the valley, it terminates 
in an abrupt point, and then extends up the valley of the 
Scioto, in a north-west and north course, for many miles, 
and forms the western boundary of the bottoms along 



62 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

that stream. From the point where the hill abruptly 
terminates at Paint creek, running north-north-east, at the 
distance of about one mile across the valley, you reach 
the bank of the Scioto, at the sudden bend it makes to 
the east. The valley between this bend of the Scioto 
and Paint creek, immediately below the point of the hill, 
was selected as a site for the town. This part of the 
valley was chosen, as it consisted of high and dry land, 
not subject to the floods of the river, which frequently 
inundated the valley towards the mouth of Paint creek. 

The town was laid out on a large tract of land owned 
by General Massie, and contained two hundred and 
eighty-seven in-lots, and one hundred and sixty-nine out- 
lots. The in-lots were six poles in width in front on the 
street, and ran back twelve poles to the alleys ; except 
the in-lots on Market or Front street, which ran with the 
river, and extended back irregularly. The out-lots ad- 
joined the in-lots, and contained four acres, almost in a 
square. The streets were laid out of uncommon width, 
two of them being six poles wide ; two, five poles ; and 
the others, four poles. 

After the necessary steps had been taken to run off the 
lots, streets, and alleys of the town, by blazing and 
marking the trees of the thick woods, the proprietor held 
a consultation with his friends, and gave to the town the 
name of Chillicothe. This name was derived from 
among the many names, given by the aborigines of our 
country to different objects. In their language, it was a 
general name for " town." They had two towns, called 
alone by this general name ; " The Old Town," on the 
north fork of Paint creek, and " New Chillicothe, or 
Town," on the head of the Little Miami river. 

One hundred in and out -lots in the town, were chosen 
by lot, by the first one hundred settlers, as a donation, 
according to the original proposition of the proprietor. 
A number of in and out-lots were also sold to other per- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 63 

sons, desiring to settle in the town. The first choice 
of in-lots were disposed of for the moderate sum of ten 
dollars each. The town increased rapidly, and before 
the winter of 1796, it had in it several stores, taverns, 
and shops for mechanics. The arts of civilized life soon 
began to unfold their power and influence in a more 
systematic manner, than had ever been witnessed by 
many of its inhabitants, especially those who were born 
and raised in the frontier settlements, where neither law 
nor gospel were understood or attended to. 

In the sales of lands, his policy showed great foresight 
in reference to the rapid and permanent settlement of the 
country, which seemed to be his constant aim. He di- 
vided off large bodies of land into small tracts of one and 
two hundred acres each, and by low prices, and liberal 
terms of payment, every one, as well those with, as 
those without the means, were induced to purchase, as 
time was granted them to pay for their land by means of 
their own industry. In the settlement of a new country, 
no other course pursued in the disposal of lands will in- 
duce a rapid settlement. Every farm in a new country, 
always enhances in value, in proportion to its actual im- 
provement, and the value is sometimes more than ten- 
fold the cost of the original purchase. Besides this, farms 
of small dimensions, in a free country, are always culti- 
vated with more care, neatness, and actual profit, than 
large farms, and add far more to the population and in- 
trinsic wealth of a country. This observation can be 
made by any one who will look at the situation of our 
country. In those parts where the land is divided into 
small and well cultivated farms, the prosperity of the in- 
habitants is greater, and the country more intrinsically 
rich, than where the land is held in large bodies. 

Large quantities of fine bottom land, on the Scioto 
river and Paint creek, were sold by General Massie, at 
the sum of one and two dollars per acre. These lands 



64 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

quickly rose in value, and at this time, not quite 
forty years since first sold, the owners would be unwill- 
ing to dispose of them at forty dollars per acre. Such 
has been the unparalleled prosperity of our country ! 

Gen. St. Clair, governor of the northwestern territory, 
placed great confidence in General Massie, and through 
him transacted most of the business with the settlements 
above the little Miami. Through him, as Colonel Massie, 
the militia of that part of the northwestern territory were 
first organized. 

In the year 1800, General Massie was married to a 
daughter of Colonel David Meade of Kentucky, formerly 
of Virginia. In 1802, Congress passed a law, author- 
izing the people of that portion of the northwestern ter- 
ritory, comprising the state of Ohio, to form a constitu- 
tion and state government. Members were elected to 
compose that convention, which met at Chillicothe, on 
the first day of November 1802, and after a session of 
about three weeks, the present constitution of our state 
was formed. General Massie was a very efficient mem- 
ber of this convention. He was elected a member with 
great unanimity, as he was by far the most popular man 
between Limestone and Zanesville. Indeed his good 
offices to the first settlers of the country were so numer- 
ous, that it would be risking a good deal, to speak irre- 
verently of the man, who made most of them by his in- 
dulgence freeholders. 

General Massie was elected to the senate from Ross 
county, the first session the assembly met under the new 
constitution, and was elected speaker during the session. 
This duty he performed to the entire satisfaction of the 
body over which he presided. 

Under the constitution, a new organization of the mi- 
litia was to be made. Massie was elected the first Major 
General of the second division of the militia of Ohio, 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 65 

having held the office of colonel under the government 
of the northwestern territory. 

General Massie was, at this time, one of the largest 
landholders in the state of Ohio, and as he was now 
married, he began to think about selecting a suitable 
place for a residence. Around the falls of Paint creek, 
in Ross county, he had a large body of excellent land, 
consisting of several thousand acres. The advantage of 
this situation on account of the fine water privileges, and 
the excellent situation of the farm for raising stock, in- 
duced him to select it as a place of residence. Here, he 
built a large and comfortable mansion. 

This country, at that time, was very much visited by the 
citizens of Virginia, as they owned large quantities of 
land in this section. General Massie's residence was the 
usual resort, where they always met with a welcome re- 
ception and were hospitably entertained. In his hospi- 
tality, indeed, he rather bordered on extravagance, espe- 
cially when visited by any of his old war-worn and 
woods companions. No gratification, which he could 
afford, but was freely extended to those who followed 
him in times of danger. His lady although raised in 
polished and fashionable life, took great pleasure in ren- 
dering his awkward woods companions easy and at 
home. I well remember it was in Mrs. Massie's room 
I first saw tea handed around for supper, which I then 
thought foolish business and still remain of that opinion. 

There is no better evidence of the truth, " that a free 
people are capable of self-government," than the fact, 
that the first settlers of this country transacted their busi- 
ness, and discharged the ordinary duties of life, with the 
greatest decorum and punctuality, without the interven- 
tion of magistrates to enforce laws. It was expected 
that every one would act with due regard to the well be- 
ing of society, and whenever any one was disposed to 
act otherwise, the lovers of good order would instantly 



66 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

put things to right. Early, however, in the year 1797, 
the governor of the northwestern territory, appointed 
Thomas Worthington, Hugh Cochran, and Samuel 
Smith, as justices of the peace for the settlement at 
Chillicothe. The last mentioned justice transacted the 
principal part of the judicial business. His prompt and 
decisive manner of doing business rendered him very 
popular. His docket could be understood only by him- 
self. Scarcely was a warrant issued by him, as he pre- 
ferred always to send his constable to the accused to 
bring him forward to have prompt justice executed. No 
law book was of any authority with him. He always 
justified his own proceedings by saying, " that all laws 
were intended for the purpose of enforcing justice, and 
that he himself knew what was right and what was 
wrong, as well as those who made the laws, and that 
therefore he stood in need of no laws to govern his ac- 
tions." In civil and criminal cases, he was always 
prompt in his decisions, and sometimes amusing in his 
mode of executing justice, as will be seen from the fol- 
lowing case, which was brought under his cognizance. 
A man, by the name of Adam McMurdy, cultivated some 
ground in the station prairie below Chillicothe. One 
night, some one stole, during his absence, his horse col- 
lar. McMurdy, next morning, examined the collars of 
the plowmen then at work, and discovered his collar in 
the possession of one of the men and claimed it of him. 
The man used towards him abusive language, and threat- 
ened to whip McMurdy for charging him with the theft. 
McMurdy went immediately to Squire Smith, and stated 
his case. The Squire listened until his story was told, 
and then despatched his constable with strict orders to 
bring the thief and collar forthwith before him. The 
constable quickly returned bringing with him, in the one 
hand, the collar, while with the other he grasped tightly 
the accused. The Squire immediately arraigned the ac- 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 67 

cused in his court, which was held in the open air, on 
the bank of the Scioto. It was then asked of the accus- 
er, how he could prove the collar to be his ? McMurdy 
replied, "If the collar is mine, Mr. Spear, who is pre- 
sent can testify." Mr. Spear was then called to testify. 
Before he was sworn, he came forward and said, "that 
if it was McMurdy's collar, he himself had written Mc 
Murdy's name on the inner side of the ear of the collar." 
The Squire turned up the ear of the collar, and found ac- 
cordingly McMurdy's name written there. " No better 
proof could be given," said the Squire, and ordered the 
accused to be immediately tied up to a buckeye, to re- 
ceive five lashes well laid on, which was accordingly 
done. Thus ended the case to the satisfaction of all, ex- 
cept the culprit. The trial did not occupy five minutes 
of time. Such was the Squire's summary manner of 
dispensing justice. Squire Smith was an honest and 
impartial man, with a vigorous and discriminating mind, 
always disposed to do justice in his own way. 

The settlement in and round Chillicothe, was, I be- 
lieve, the first made in peace west of the mountains. 
The progress of improvement in the town and country 
was rapid, and the country was soon filled with a dense 
population. 

This was the second settlement General Massie had 
the honor of forming in the western wilderness, an honor 
that reflects much credit on him, as his labors and en- 
ergy have added greatly to the wealth and strength of 
the nation, and the comfort and prosperity of the people 
of the land. Had it not been for him and a few other 
daring spirits sent by Providence to prepare the way, 
our country might have remained a wilderness, the abode 
of " wild beasts and men more wild and savage than 
they." 

From the time of the settlement at Chillicothe, Gen. 
Massie lived alternately, as his business demanded at- 



68 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tention, in the state of Kentucky and the northwestern 
territory. His knowledge of the situation, the quality, 
and the owners of land in the Virginia military district, 
gave him great advantages as a speculator. On his own 
account, and as a partner of several land companies 
formed in Virginia, he purchased and sold a large quanti- 
ty of the most valuable land in the district. 

In the year 1807, General Massie and Col. Return J. 
Meigs were competitors for the office of governor of 
Ohio. They were the most popular men in the state. 
Col. Meigs received a small majority of votes. The elec- 
tion was contested by Massie on the ground that Col. 
Meigs was ineligible by the constitution, in consequence 
of his absence from the state, and had not since his return 
lived in the state a sufficient length of time to regain his citi- 
zenship. The contest was carried to the General Assembly, 
who after hearing the testimony, decided that " Col. 
Meigs was ineligible to the office, and that Gen. Massie 
was duly elected governor of the state of Ohio." Massie, 
however desirous he might have been to hold the office, 
was too magnanimous to accept it when his competitor 
had a majority of votes. After the decision in his favor 
he immediately resigned. 

General Messie, after this time, represented Ross 
county in the Legislature, as often as his leisure from 
other pursuits would admit. In the year 1810, he re- 
signed the office of Major General of the Ohio militia. 

In the spring of the year 1813, when the British and 
Indians besfeged the jarmy, under the command of the 
brave General Harrison in Fort Meigs, the news of the 
danger with which our army was threatened, roused 
Massie from his retreat at the falls of Paint creek. Al- 
though now getting in years, a spark of his youthful 
fire still remained unquenched. As soon as he learned 
that his countrymen were in danger, he shouldered his 
rifle, mounted his horse, and rode to almost every house 



GENERAL NATHANIEL MASSIE. 69 

on Paint creek, urging to his fellow citizens every argu- 
ment that patriotism could suggest to take the field with- 
out delay, and relieve our army from its perilous situation. 
Although he had no legal right to command, this did not 
deter him from joining his countrymen in arms. Num- 
bers joined him from Paint creek. With these he pro- 
ceeded to Chillicothe. There, likewise, a number joined 
him. There was no time to organize, as delay might be 
fatal to our countrymen, who were cooped up in Fort 
Meigs, surrounded with thrice their number of white and 
red savages. The party being on horseback moved ra- 
pidly to Franklinton, gathering strength as they went 
along. At Franklinton, there was a depot of public arms. 
Arms and ammunition were there distributed to upwards 
of five hundred men, and Massie was elected commander 
by acclamation. They left Franklinton without delay, 
and as the men were all mounted they dashed ahead as 
fast as their horses could carry them to the scene of ac- 
tion. When they had nearly reached Lower Sandusky, 
they were met by an express from General Harrison 
with the news, that the enemy had raised the siege of 
Fort Meigs and returned to Canada. Massie and his 
volunteers returned to Chillicothe, where they disbanded 
themselves and returned every man to his farm. Thus 
ended the expedition, after the absence of a few days. 
This was General Massie's last act in public life. 

General Massie still resided at his residence at the 
falls of Paint creek, where he had erected a large furnace 
for the purpose of manufacturing iron. He had just 
commenced the business with every prospect of success, 
and was arranging his much extended land transactions. 
He had been blessed in the partner of his bosom, and 
with sons and daughters. His life had hitherto been 
spent in toils and action in the midst of danger and pri- 
vations, and he was now preparing to spend the evening 
of his days in a quiet and happy retirement. We are 



70 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE, ETC. 

never, " but always to be blessed." How inscrutable 
are the ways of Providence ! This useful man could not 
be exempt from the common lot of humanity. Although 
he had uniformly been one of the most healthy of men, 
he was suddenly attacked with disease which termina- 
ted his mortal career. On the third day of November 
1813, he breathed his last and was buried on his farm. 

General Massie left a widow, and three sons and two 
daughters. These are all grown, and occupy a respec- 
table rank in society. They are just such children as 
will make a parent's heart glad; all industrious, tem- 
perate and moral. 

I have now recorded all the material incidents in the 
life of this good and useful man, so far as they have 
come to my knowledge. There are doubtless many 
interesting events in his life, during his residence in 
Kentucky, which are now lost for ever. His character 
was well suited for the settlement of a new country ; 
distinguished, as it was, by an uncommon degree of 
energy and activity in the business in which he was 
engaged. His disposition was ever marked with liberality 
and kindness. 

General Massie's private character, in all the relations 
of husband, father, and friend, was worthy of imitation : 
but still it is not claimed that he was " one of those fault- 
less monsters the world never saw ;" " to err is human, to 
forgive divine." So we will permit his frailties to sleep 
with him in his grave. 




[Face 71. J 



Gen. Duncan McArthur 



A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 



GENERAL DUNCAN McARTHUR. 



N 



CHAPTER I. 



General Duncan Mc Arthur was born on the 14th day 
of January, in the year 1772, in Duchess county, state 
of New-York. His parents were natives of the High- 
lands of Scotland. His mother was of the Campbell 
clan, which is illustrious in Scottish story. General 
Mc' Arthur had the misfortune to lose his mother when 
quite a youth. 

In 1780, he being eight years of age, his father moved 
to the western frontier, in the state of Pennsylvania. 
Our revolutionary war was then in progress. All the 
energies of our citizens were concentrated to protect 
themselves from Indian depredations, and to win inde- 
pendence from foreign oppression. Under these trying 
circumstances, subsistence and clothing were difficult to 
be procured, and schools in the western country were al- 
most unknown. However, by the time he was twelve 
or thirteen years of age, he had learned to read and write. 
Duncan being the eldest child, was, as soon as he was 
able to work, kept at hard labor, to aid in supporting his 
father's numerous family of children. His father was in 
indigent circumstances, and as soon as his crop was laid 
by, Duncan was either hired out by the day, or month, 
to the neighboring farmers. 

6 71 



72 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

At the date of which I am writing, there were no 
wagon roads across the Alleghany mountains. They 
were a frightful world of rocks and forests. All the mer- 
chandise (and many articles were indispensable), such as 
powder, lead, salt, iron, pots and kettles, and above all, 
beloved rum, then used in western Pennsylvania, were 
conveyed over the mountains on pack-horses. McArthur, 
when very young, made frequent trips with packers. 

Men who were raised in the western country, and are 
now over sixty years of age, look back with astonish- 
ment at the change which has taken place within their 
remembrance. The world, as they knew it, has been 
transformed. At that time it was almost an every day 
occurrence, to see a long line of pack-horses, in single 
file, cautiously wending their way over the stupendous 
Alleghany, on a path scarcely wide enough for a single 
horse. When surmounting the dizzy heights, they often 
turned round the points of projecting rocks, where the least 
jostle, or a slip of the horse's foot, would have precipitated 
it into the abyss beneath, and crushed it to atoms. So 
narrow and dangerous were the passes in many places, 
that a horse loaded with bulky articles could not pass 
these projecting rocks, without first being unloaded. The 
difficulties of the road were not the only danger they had 
to encounter ; the wily Indian frequently lay in ambush 
to massacre the traveler. 

So good judges were they of the easy passes over the 
mountains, that scientific engineers have selected nearly 
the same tracks,, on which the western packers passed 
with their brigades of pack horses in single file ; where 
now are constructed turnpikes and railroads, on which 
the traveler glides, or rather floats along through air se- 
curely, and almost with the rapid speed of the bird of 
Jove. Such have been the happy results produced by 
the daring enterprise and useful labors of the western 
pioneers. Notwithstanding that their lives were con- 



73 

tinued scenes of privation, danger, and patriotic devotion 
to their country, it is not claimed that they were free 
from errors. Not having been fettered by laws, and 
each one being the guardian and avenger of his own 
rights and wrongs, they grew up in a state of rude inde- 
pendence. Their prejudices were strong, their passions 
warm, and they were frequently hurried into excesses. 

" They were as free as nature first made man, 
Ere the base laws of servitude began — 
When wild in woods the noble savage ran." 

Their courage in surmounting danger, their fortitude in 
enduring hardships and privations, their hospitality, their 
patriotism and ardor for fame, were conspicuous in every 
period of their history. 

The subject of this narrative grew up to manhood on 
the western frontier, without fortune, without the aid of 
friends, without the advantages of education, without that 
society which is essential to mental improvement, until 
he was considerably advanced in years. General Mc- 
Arthur, notwithstanding he saw as much of the world, 
its pageantry, and polished society, as most of those who 
have filled the same stations, yet retained the frank 
manners of the old backwoodsman. His good sense 
always rendered even his frankness, and apparent blunt- 
ness of manner, not only acceptable, but agreeable. That 
young man is worthy of commendation, who, raised in 
poverty, and without education, builds up a reputation by 
energy and perseverance. It must be instructive to the 
young men of the country, in a land where all must be 
the artificers of their own fortunes, to study the history 
and character of Duncan McArthur, from his earliest 
youth to his honored old age. Political honor, and fre- 
quently wealth, are the rewards of energetic devotion to 
the good of mankind. In early life McArthur was buried 
in a western wilderness ; in maturer years we see him, 
a distinguished military officer in time of war, and a skil- 



74 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ful legislator in time of peace. The young men of our 
country, who read the incidents of his life, will learn 
what is to be gained by industry, energy, and firmness 
of purpose. Those who have small means, and few 
friends in their youth, should not despond : their future 
destiny depends much upon themselves. But I must 
return to my narrative. 

In the year 1790, Duncan McArthur, in the eighteenth 
year of his age, left his father's house. The incursions 
of the Indians kept the frontier settlements in continual 
alarms, and all the force which the stations could com- 
mand, was constantly kept in requisition for defense. 
The government of the United States was then under the 
direction of the great Washington, who had used every 
means in his power to induce the Indians to live in friend- 
ship with their white brethren. But his benevolent ef- 
forts were ineffectual, and he determined to employ a 
force which, if properly directed, would keep the savages 
in awe. The command of the expedition was conferred 
on General Harmar, a popular soldier of the revolution. 
A requisition was made on western Pennsylvania and 
Kentucky for volunteers, a call which was promptly 
complied with. Duncan McArthur enrolled himself with 
the Pennsylvania volunteers, who forthwith sailed down 
the Ohio to Fort Washington (now the city of Cincin- 
nati). At this place they were joined by some regular 
troops, and a regiment of volunteers from Kentucky, 
commanded by Colonel Hardin. 

From fort Washington the army proceeded north- 
wardly, through an unbroken wilderness, carrying their 
subsistence with them. When they arrived within thirty 
miles of the Indian towns, a detachment of six hundred 
men, under the command of Colonel Hardin, were sent 
in advance, with orders to make forced marches, and, if 
possible, to surprise the Indians and destroy their towns 
before they would have time to collect their united forces 



GENERAL DUNCAN M ARTHUR. 75 

for defense. Our young adventurer accompanied this 
detachment. They proceeded at a rapid march until 
they arrived at the towns ; but the birds had flown. The 
wary enemy had been apprised by their watchful spies of 
the approach of danger, and had fled to the woods and 
swamps for protection. These towns were situated at 
the junction of the rivers St. Mary and St. Joseph, where 
fort Wayne was erected, in 1794, by General Wayne. 
From this place the river takes the name of Maumee, or 
Miami of the Lakes. 

Four days after Colonel Hardin's detachment took 
possession of these towns, General Harmar arrived with 
the main army, and remained several days on the ground, 
destroying all the Indian property he could find. During 
this time none of the Indians showed themselves, but 
permitted their towns to be destroyed. Having com- 
pleted the destruction of the place, General Harmar turned 
the face of his army homeward, marching about ten miles 
the first day, where he encamped for the night. He had 
left a few trusty spies to linger in concealment about the 
Indian towns, to observe any movements which they 
might make. In the evening of this day, these faithful 
sentinels discovered a number of Indians returning to 
their ruined towns. The spies forthwith retreated to the 
camp, and informed the general that the Indians had re- 
turned to their towns. 

Upon receiving this intelligence, General Harmar 
again detached Colonel Hardin, with the Kentucky vol- 
unteers and a company of regular troops, to the Indian 
towns. They made a quick march, and arrived near the 
towns about daybreak. Before making the attack, the 
detachment was divided into two divisions ; the one com- 
manded by Colonel Hardin, the other by Major Hall. 
To Major Hall's division young McArthur belonged. 
Colonel Hardin's division crossed the St. Mary's, and 
attacked the Indians. A severe battle ensued, in which 



76 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Hardin was defeated with considerable loss. Major Hall 
fell in with another party of Indians ; a sanguinary battle 
was fought, the Indians were defeated, and driven several 
miles up the St. Joseph. Major Hall then returned to 
Harmar's camp, before he was apprised of the total defeat 
of Hardin. Thus the horrors of this severe fight were 
divided, but the Indians had the fruits of an entire victory. 

Without making any further attempts to gain his with- 
ered laurels, Gen. Harmar immediately returned to Fort 
Washington, and there the army was disbanded. The 
Kentuckians returned to their homes, and the Pennsyl- 
vanians, in detachments, went up the Ohio river in keel- 
boats. 

On their return up the river, an occurrence took place 
which shows the energy and perseverance of our young 
adventurer in his early life. Between Limestone (now 
Maysville) and Massie's station (now Manchester), Mc- 
Arthur and another young man left the boat early in the 
morning, and went back into the country to hunt, intend- 
ing to head the boat before night. The day was cloudy, 
and they were total strangers to the country. They 
missed their direction, and at night when they came to 
the river, they were lower down than when they left 
their company in the morning. They stayed that night 
at a William Brooks', three miles above Maysville. 
Their boat and companions were one day in advance, 
and no settlement above them nearer than the mouth of 
the Big Kanawha, a distance of two hundred miles, and 
many streams which emptied into the Ohio to cross. In 
addition to these difficulties, the Indians were constantly 
on the alert to destroy small parties who might be pass- 
ing up or down the Ohio river. These difficulties did 
not deter our young adventurer from making the attempt 
" to push ahead," to overtake his boat. They left Mr. 
Brooks' on foot, trailing at times along the foot of the 
hills, at other times along the margin of the river, till 



GENERAL DUNCAN m'aRTHUR. 77 

they arrived at the mouth of Big Sandy river, late in the 
evening. This stream was exceedingly high from recent 
rains, its current shooting nearly across the Ohio ; their 
boat was in view, and their companions were only two 
or three hundred yards above its mouth. They hallooed 
and called at the highest pitch of their voices, but they 
were not heard on account of the tremendous roaring of 
the angry waters. Early next morning they had the 
mortification to see their companions move off with their 
boat without them. There was no time to be lost in 
fruitless repining, but with the perseverance common to 
the backwoodsmen of that time, they set off up the Big 
Sandy several miles, where they constructed a raft, and 
with much difficulty crossed the river, and then traveled 
as fast as they could to overtake their companions ; but 
their efforts were ineffectual. All the streams above Big 
Sandy had risen, and they were compelled to construct 
rafts to cross them. In this manner they were so much 
delayed, that when they arrived at the mouth of Big 
Kanawha their boat had gained several days on them. 
Here they gave up the pursuit, and rested their weary 
bodies a few days, when they again commenced their 
toilsome journey on foot for Wheeling, where they arriv- 
ed about the first of December. From thence McArthur 
returned to his father's home. 



CHAPTER II. 



The energy of McArthur's character began to unfold 
itself in very early life. No danger could appal him, nor 
fjtigue deter him from the pursuit of an enterprise. Let 
us trace his early history. 

In 1791, he was elected an ensign in a company of 
militia, and received his commission from Governor 



78 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Mifflin, of Pennsylvania. Every militia officer in those 
trying times was expected to be shortly called upon to 
take his station in the " tented field." Consequently, 
the citizens were generally careful to select the best men 
the country afforded. There is no doubt that young 
McArthur felt more elated at that time, with an ensign's 
commission in his pocket, than he did in after life, when 
he was elected governor of Ohio. 

In 1792, he joined, as a private, a volunteer company 
commanded by Captain William Enoch. This com- 
pany was stationed at Baker's fort, on the river Ohio, 
some distance below Wheeling. A younger brother of 
Captain Enoch was lieutenant of the company. Shortly 
after their encamping on the river, and at a late hour in 
the evening, a few Indians were discovered across the 
river from the fort, on the Ohio shore, carelessly walking 
about. There is no doubt but these Indians showed 
themselves for the purpose of inviting the whites across 
the river, and if they could succeed, intended to lay in 
ambush and destroy them. Early the next morning 
Lieut. Enoch with fifteen men, amongst whom was Mc- 
Arthur, crossed the river before day. As soon as it was 
light enough to distinguish objects at a distance, Lieut. 
Enoch and his party went to the place where the Indians 
had showed themselves the previous evening, and found 
the trail of five or six Indians, and incautiously pursued 
them over the river hill to Captina creek, about one mile 
from the river, and not much further from the mouth of 
the creek. As the party of whites were pursuing the 
trail, they went down a small drain, with a narrow bot- 
tom. On the right of the drain was a steep, rocky bank, 
fifty or sixty feet high ; on this bank thirty or forty In- 
dians lay concealed. The whites passed on till they 
came in front of the Indian line, when a tremendous fire 
was opened upon them ; the fire was instantly returned 
by Enoch and his party. Both parties took shelter be- 



79 

hind trees, logs, or rocks, and the battle was continued 
with animation on both sides for some time. Lieutenant 
Enoch and McArthur were treed near each other, and 
loaded and shot several times. The hills along Captina 
creek are steep, high, and craggy, the valleys narrow, 
so that the keen crack of the rifles, added to the deaf- 
ening shouts of the combatants, causing the echo to vi- 
brate from hill to hill, made it seem that those engaged in 
this strife of arms were fourfold the actual number. At 
length a ball from an Indian's rifle pierced the breast of 
the brave Lieut. Enoch ; he fell, and immediately ex- 
pired. Six others of his little band were slain, and some 
badly wounded. 

Their commander being killed, and many of their gal- 
lant little band being slain or disabled, the remainder de- 
termined upon a retreat. No officer was left to com- 
mand, and although McArthur was the youngest man in 
the company, in this time of peril he was unanimously 
called to direct the retreat. The wounded who were 
able to walk were placed in front, whilst McArthur, with 
his Spartan band, covered the retreat. The moment an 
Indian showed himself in pursuit he was fired upon, and 
generally, it is believed, with effect. The Indians were 
so severely handled in the fight, that they soon gave up 
the pursuit. The same day the remains of the brave 
Lieut. Enoch's command returned to Baker's fort, the 
place from which they set out in the morning. 

In this engagement, McArthur had several fair shots ; 
a man of his steady nerve would not often miss his 
mark. The Indians were commanded in this battle by a 
Shawnee chief, known to the whites about Chillicothe 
by the name of Charley Wilkey, (the same who took 
Samuel Davis prisoner). He told the author of this nar- 
rative, that the battle of Captina was the most severe 
conflict he ever witnessed ; that although he had the ad- 
vantage of the ground and the first fire, he lost the most 



80 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

men, half of them having been either killed or wounded. 
The carnage was indeed most fearful, considering the 
small numbers engaged. More than one half of each 
party were killed or wounded. I have never seen in 
print any account of this severe conflict with the savage 
foe. 

McArthur's intrepid conduct in the Captina affair ren- 
dered him very popular with the frontier men, as far as 
the account of this sanguinary conflict extended. Al- 
though he had with equal energy and boldness discharged 
his duty as a soldier in the battle field on the St. Joseph's, 
in the campaign with General Harmar, yet the dexterity 
and courage of a private soldier could not be so^asily 
distinguished where large numbers were engaged. 

During the winter of 1792 and 1793, he went down 
the Ohio river to the neighborhood of Limestone (Mays- 
ville), in Kentucky, his restless disposition not permit- 
ting him to tarry long at the stations, which were then 
" few and far between," on the banks of the Ohio. Al- 
ternately he engaged in the laborious avocations of the 
new settlers, or in the toilsome vocation of hunting in the 
sequestered and lonely forests. Occasionally he was 
employed about thirty miles above Maysville, at a salt 
lick, one of those establishments which were all-impor- 
tant to the early settlers ; and thus he spent some portion 
of his early life, always seeking employment, and render- 
ing himself useful to his fellow men, and promoting 
thereby his own advancement. We revert to these em- 
ployments of the earlier part of young McArthur's life, 
with the full conviction that no honest employment is 
disreputable, and to show the steps by which industry, 
capacity and integrity, may rise to affluence and honor- 
able distinction, from the most humble beginnings. 

At this salt establishment he first became acquainted 
with Gen. Joseph Vance, who was then a mere youth, 
but who labored in those days with McArthur in the 



GENERAL DUNCAN m'aRTHUR. 81 

same vocations. Unaided by patronage, and self-taught, 
by the force of his own genius, and by perseverance, he 
has risen from that humble condition to competence and 
distinction. When the Indian wars ceased, his father 
settled on Mad river, near where the town of Urbana 
was subsequently erected. He has been repeatedly a 
member of the general assembly of this state, fourteen 
years a member of the lower house of congress, and is 
now the governor of the state of Ohio. It is to sterling 
worth that this tribute of respect is paid. In this country, 
where the system of entails is cut up by the roots, the 
persevering poor of one generation may become the rich 
of the succeeding generation. 

In the spring of 1793, General Nathaniel Massie was 
collecting a party to go to the Scioto country on a sur- 
veying tour. McArthur left the salt works and went 
with Massie as a chain carrier, or marker. Although 
this was a period of Indian warfare, Massie, and a party 
of about thirty men, went up the Ohio to the mouth of 
the river Scioto, and up the Scioto to the mouth of Paint 
creek. Their baggage was taken by water in canoes, 
whilst the surveyors leisurely meandered the Ohio and 
Scioto rivers, making occasional surveys as they went 
forward. When they arrived at the mouth of Paint 
creek, they sunk their canoes in deep water for conceal- 
ment, and went to work with spirit. The country around 
where Chillicothe was subsequently laid out, was sur- 
veyed, and up the Scioto as far as Westfall. Surveys 
were also made up the north fork of Paint creek, as far 
as Old Town, with meeting but one Indian, who made 
his escape. They saw in several places fresh signs 
made by Indians, but Massie and his party were too 
vigilant and numerous to be successfully attacked by a 
few stragglers. The Indians, therefore, sought safety in 
flight. There is no doubt that if Massie had remained 
much longer in that part of the country, a sufficient num- 



82 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ber of Indians would have collected and destroyed them. 
But his party returned to Manchester after an absence of 
several weeks, without any loss. 

This bold enterprise of about thirty men, proceeding 
more than one hundred miles into the enemy's country, 
and remaining in the neighborhood of their first encamp- 
ment, to survey a large scope of country, astonishes us, 
and indicates the recklessness and daring of the early 
backwoodsmen. 

In the fall of this year, the Indians were very trouble- 
some to the frontier settlements along the Ohio river. The 
government of Kentucky employed spies, or rangers, to 
traverse the frontier country in every direction, and to 
give the alarm to the frontier stations, should Indians be 
found lurking about their neighborhoods. There was as 
much competition amongst the bold backwoodsmen of 
that day, for those posts of honor and danger, as there is 
now exhibited by office-hunters in seeking " the loaves 
and fishes." It would seem that every age has some 
peculiar events which answer to stir up the passions, and 
keep them in a state of excitement, as if " the passions 
were the elements of life." On the fidelity of these 
spies depended the lives, the property, and safety of the 
frontier settlements. It is not surprising, then, that the 
eyes of all the citizens were turned towards the conduct 
of those who were selected as sentinels, to watch the 
motions of a restless and insidious foe. A young man 
who had the good fortune to establish and maintain 
a character for intrepidity and honesty, was a special 
favorite, not only with the men, but amongst the ladies, 
no matter how rough his exterior, or uncouth his man- 
ners. Even in those trying times of Indian hostility, 
and the deprivations in settling a new country, to secure 
the smiles and approbation of the fair was an object of 
peculiar interest with young ambition. 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 83 



CHAPTER III. 

Duncan McArthur had the good fortune to establish 
such a character for energy, perseverance, and strict in- 
tegrity, during the surveying expedition up the Scioto, 
that he was recommended as a man well qualified for the 
services of a spy or ranger, and he was accordingly em- 
ployed. He and Samuel Davis, with two others, were 
directed to range the country from Limestone to the 
mouth of Big Sandy river, which is the extreme eastern 
boundary of the state of Kentucky, and never was a trust 
confided to more faithful and competent sentinels. In 
this employment they remained until the severity of the 
winter procured rest to the settlers. An incident occurred 
in one of these tours of duty, worthy to be related. 

When McArthur and Davis were together, going up 
the Ohio, they had with them a light canoe. One pushed 
it up the stream, while the other walked in advance to 
reconnoiter. They stopped for the night a short distance 
below the mouth of the Scioto river. Early next morn- 
ing they crossed the Ohio, and went back across the bot- 
tom to the foot of the hill, where they knew of a line 
deer lick. This lick is situated about two miles below 
the town of Portsmouth, and near the residence of Judge 
Collins. The morning was very calm, and a light fog 
hung over the bottom. When they got near the lick, 
McArthur halted, and Davis proceeded, stooping low 
among the bushes and weeds, to conceal himself. He 
moved on with the noiseless tread of the cat, till he was 
near the lick, when he straightened up to see if the 
ground was occupied. At that instant he heard the crack 
of a rifle, and a bullet whistled by his ear. As the morn- 
ing was still and foggy, the smoke from the Indian's gun 
settled around him, so that he could not see whether the 
shot had taken effect or not. Davis raised his rifle, and 



84 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

as the Indian stepped out of the smoke to make observa- 
tions, shot him dead. Davis immediately reloaded his 
rifle, and by about the time he had charged his gun, Mc- 
Arthur came running to him, knowing that the shots he 
had heard were in too quick succession to be fired by the 
same gun. Running at the top of his speed to the aid 
of his companion, just as he reached the spot where 
Davis stood, they heard a heavy sound of footsteps, and 
in an instant more a number of Indians made their ap- 
pearance in the open ground near the lick. McArthur 
and Davis were standing in thick brush and high weeds, 
and being unperceived by the Indians, cautiously retreated 
to their canoe, crossed the Ohio, and were out of danger. 

Early in the spring of 1794, spies were again employed 
to range through the country, along the frontier line of 
stations. On the line from Maysville to Big Sandy, 
were employed Duncan McArthur, Nathaniel Beasley 
(late a major-general of Ohio militia, and frequently a 
member of the general assembly from Brown county, 
Ohio, and at the time of his death, one of the canal com- 
missioners of this state), Thomas Treacle, and Samuel 
McDowel. These spies were generally divided into two 
squads. While two of them were going up the Ohio, the 
others were coming down. In this way they were con- 
tinually on the alert, to watch the motions of their un- 
merciful enemies. During this summer the attacks of the 
Indians were not so frequent, nor made by such large 
parties as in the preceding years, owing to the circum- 
stance of General Wayne having invaded their country 
with an overwhelming force. This kept them in con- 
siderable check, but at the same time small parties made 
frequent inroads into the frontier settlements. 

This summer, the government of the United States, 
for the first time, employed men at the public charge, to 
carry a mail from what was then termed the old settle- 
ment (Wheeling, in Virginia, was then called the most 



85 

western point of the old settlement), to Maysville, and 
as far down the Ohio as Cincinnati. Previous to 1794, 
when intelligence, either public or private, was sought to 
be conveyed, those interested employed express carriers 
at their individual expense. This rendered correspond- 
ence, of every sort, between the isolated new settlements 
and the old, very uncertain and insecure. The mail was 
carried in what was called a packet-boat. This boat was 
light, and could be rowed by six men up the stream at a 
rapid rate. Propelling the packet-boat up the stream was 
the most laborious and dangerous employment which can 
be imagined. The Indians were unceasing in their ef- 
forts to destroy small parties of whites, as they were 
passing up or down the river Ohio. There were then 
but few places between Cincinnati and Wheeling, for the 
packet-boat to rest at night in safety. But such were the 
enterprise and daring of the backwoodsmen, either on 
land or water, that they were ready to undertake any en- 
terprise within the power of man to accomplish. 

During this summer, as the packet-boat was on her 
way up, near the mouth of the Scioto, a party of Indians 
fired into the boat as it was passing near the shore, and 
one man, John Stout, was killed, and "wo brothers by the 
name of Colvin were severely wounded. The boat was 
hurried by the remainder of the crew into the middle of 
the stream, and then returned to Maysville. The four 
" spies" were at Maysville, drawing their pay and am- 
munition, when the packet-boat returned. Notwithstand- 
ing the recent and bloody defeat sustained in the packet- 
boat, a fresh crew was immediately procured, and the 
four spies were directed by Colonel Henry Lee (who 
had the superintendence and direction of them) to guard 
the boat as far as the mouth of Big Sandy river. As the 
spies were on their way up the river with the packet- 
boat, they found concealed and sunk in the mouth of a 
small creek, a short distance below the mouth of the 



86 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Scioto, a bark canoe, large enough to carry seven or 
eight men. In this canoe a party of Indians had crossed 
the Ohio, and were prowling about somewhere in the 
country. Samuel McDowel was sent back to give notice 
to the inhabitants, whilst the other three spies remained 
with the packet-boat till they saw it safe past the mouth 
of Big Sandy river. 

At this place the spies parted from the boat, and com- 
menced their return for Maysville. On their way up 
they had taken a light canoe. Two of them pushed the 
canoe, whilst the others advanced on foot to reconnoiter. 
On their return, the spies floated down the Ohio in their 
canoe, till they came nearly opposite the mouth of the 
Scioto river, where they landed, and McArthur went out 
into the hills in pursuit of game. Treacle and Beasley 
went about a mile lower down the river and landed their 
canoe, intending also to hunt till McArthur should come 
up with them. McArthur went to a deer lick, with the 
situation of which he was well acquainted ; made a blind 
behind which he concealed himself, and waited for game. 
He lay about an hour, when he discovered two Indians 
coming to the lick. The Indians were so near him be- 
fore he saw them, that it was impossible for him to 
retreat without being discovered. As the boldest course 
appeared to him to be the safest, he determined to permit 
them to come as near to him as they would, shoot one 
of them, and try his strength with the other. Imagine 
his situation. Two Indians armed with rifles, toma- 
hawks, and scalping-knives, approaching in these cir- 
cumstances, must have caused his heart to beat pit-a-pat. 
He permitted the Indians, who were walking towards 
him in a stooping posture, to approach undisturbed. 
When they came near the lick, they halted in an open 
piece of ground, and straightened up to look into the lick 
for game. This halt enabled McArthur to take deliberate 
aim from a rest, at only fourteen steps distance. He fired, 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 87 

and an Indian fell. Mc Arthur remained still a moment, 
thinking it possible that the other Indian would take to 
flight. In this he was mistaken. The Indian did not 
even dodge out of his track, when his companion sunk 
lifeless by his side. 

As the Indian's gun was charged, McArthur concluded 
it would be rather a fearful job to rush upon him ; he there- 
fore determined upon a retreat. He broke from his place 
of concealment, and ran with all his speed. He had run 
but a few steps, when he found himself tangled in the top 
of a fallen tree : this caused a momentary halt. At that 
instant the Indian fired, and the ball whistled sharply by 
him. As the Indian's gun, as well as his own, was now 
empty, he thought of turning round and giving him a 
fight upon equal terms. At this instant several other In- 
dians came in sight, rushing with savage screams through 
the brush. He fled with his utmost speed, the Indians 
pursuing, and firing at him as he ran. One of their balls 
entered the bottom of his powder horn, and shivered the 
side of it next his body into pieces. The splinters of his 
shattered powder-horn were propelled with such force 
by the ball, that his side was considerably injured, and 
the blood flowed freely. The ball, in passing through 
the horn, had given him such a jar, that he thought for 
some time it had passed through his side. But this did 
not slacken his pace. The Indians pursued him some 
distance. McArthur, though not very fleet, was capable 
of enduring great fatigue, and he now had an occasion 
which demanded the best exertion of his strength. He 
gained upon his pursuers, and by the time he had crossed 
two or three ridges, he found himself free from pursuit, 
and turned his course to the river. 

When he came to the bank of the Ohio, he discovered 

Beasley and Treacle in the canoe, paddling up the stream, 

in order to keep her hovering over the same spot, and to 

be more conspicuous should McArthur make his escape 

7 



88 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

from the Indians. They had heard the firing, and the 
yelling in pursuit, and had no doubt about the cause, and 
had concluded it possible, from the length of time and 
the direction of the noise, that McArthur might have ef- 
fected his escape. Nathaniel Beasley and Thomas 
Treacle were not the kind of men to fly at the approach 
of danger, and forsake a comrade. McArthur saw the 
canoe, and made a signal to them to come ashore. They 
did so, and McArthur was soon in the canoe, in the 
middle of the stream, and out of danger. Thus ended 
this day's adventures of the spies and their packet-boat, 
and this was the last attack made by the Indians upon a 
boat in the Ohio river. 

Till late in the fall of this year he was retained in 
this arduous and dangerous employment. At the 
approach of the winter, and after the severe chastise- 
ment of the Indians by General Wayne's army, there 
was a cessation of arms, and the spies were discharged. 
McArthur's disposition was for constant action. When 
he was unemployed he was as restless (to use one of 
the backwoods' comparisons) as a wild animal chained. 
The winter of 1794 and '95 was just setting in. He 
could choose either to return to the salt lick and make 
salt, or go to the woods and hunt and trap. While he 
was settling a plan for his winter operations, he fell in 
with Mr. George Hardick, an experienced hunter and 
trapper, who was never at ease but when he was ranging 
through the solitary woods. McArthur and Hardick 
were kindred spirits, who never quailed at danger, or 
wearied by labor. They agreed to go in partnership for 
a winter hunt. They made a light canoe, ammunition 
and beaver traps were procured, and our adventurers set 
off from Manchester, down the Ohio to the mouth of 
the Kentucky river, thence up the Kentucky river far 
above the settlements. Game of every description was 
found in abundance. Deer and buffalo were killed for 



GENERAL DUNCAN Iff' ARTHUR. 89 

their tallow and hides. Beaver and otter were the prin- 
cipal game pursued, and were caught in considerable 
numbers. They went up the Kentucky river as far as 
they could find water to float their canoe. About the 
middle of January the river froze up, and they could 
neither move their canoe backward nor forward. Here 
they built a close hut, in which to secure the proceeds 
of their hunt from the depredations of wolves and other 
wild animals. They left their canoe, peltry, &c, pack- 
ed their traps, ammunition, and blankets, on their backs, 
and proceeded up the main branch of the Kentucky river, 
as far as the beaver could find water in which to swim. 
In this way, these two backwoodsmen spent their winter 
in the midst of the spurs of the Cumberland mountains, 
more than one hundred miles from the habitations of 
civilized men. Although their hunting range was some- 
times on one side and sometimes on the other of the old 
war-path, on which the Indians from the south went to 
visit and assist their friends north of the Ohio river, yet 
during the winter they saw no fresh sign of Indians. 

As soon as the winter broke, and the ice and snow 
melted, they returned to their hut, loaded their canoe, 
and leisurely went down the river, stopping to trap 
wherever they saw signs of game. They continued 
down the Kentucky river to its mouth, thence up the 
Ohio to Cincinnati. Here they disposed of the proceeds 
of their hunt to some advantage. They then returned to 
Manchester. Look, reader, at the map of Kentucky, 
and trace the route of these men from Manchester in 
Ohio, to the mouth of the Kentucky river, thence up the 
Kentucky river to the Cumberland mountains, and you 
can form some faint idea of the toils and labors overcome, 
and of the perseverance of the old backwoodsmen, in 
pursuing any enterprise which once engaged their at- 
tention. 

In the month of March, 1795, he again went on a 



90 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

surveying tour with General Massie. This expedition 
was subsequently called the " starving tour," for a des- 
cription of which read the life of General Massie. On 
this distressing expedition McArthur distinguished him- 
self for his patience under the most severe privations. 
Being strong and robust, he was capable of enduring 
more toil than most men. His perseverance rendered 
him valuable in such trying circumstances. From this 
time forward his destiny was closely linked with that 
of Gen. Massie. 

During the summer Gen. Wayne made a treaty of 
peace with the Indians, and the prospects of the white 
settlers in the western country were more flattering than 
at any former period in their history. The ground on 
which every station was erected in the western country, 
had been heretofore battle ground. While working their 
corn-patches, sentinels were constantly required to guard 
those at labor. Notwithstanding the utmost vigilance, 
many were shot or tomahawked by the enemy. Their 
steady perseverance had caused a day of brighter aus- 
pices to break forth. The red man, notwithstanding "his 
soul is great — his arm is strong — his battles full of fame," 
with all his bravery and stratagem, was compelled to 
yield to his more civilized neighbor. A new epoch is 
just dawning. The vast wilds of the west are now open 
to emigration. The dense population east of the Alle- 
ghany mountains are standing on tip-toe, watching the 
issue of this long and direful conflict of arms. At length 
in the month of August, 1795, from Fort Greenville, 
Gen. Wayne sends forth the glad tidings to the west, 
that peace is made with the red man. No more sentinels 
were necessary to guard the plowman at his labor. The 
population east of the mountains, and also from Europe, 
make a rush into the western wilderness, and a new 
world arises. The states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mis- 
souri, and Michigan, now sustaining their millions of 



91 

inhabitants, were trophies won in a fifty years' war, by 
a few pioneers of western Pennsylvania, western Vir- 
ginia, and Kentucky. The nation owes a debt of grati- 
tude to the men, whose march was in the van in those 
trying times. Their memories should be held in vener- 
ation by the millions who now reap in peace and quiet 
the fruits of their toil and labor. 



CHAPTER IV. 

A large district of country had been ceded by the 
Indians, at the treaty of Greenville. The backwoods- 
men, who had spent a great part of their lives in the 
front of the war by which these lands were acquired, 
believed the country of right belonged to the conquerors. 
In consequence of this opinion, during the winter of 
1795-96 they poured into the newly acquired territory 
by thousands ; each endeavoring to select the most ad- 
vantageous site for a farm, on which they could pass the 
evening of their days in peace and quiet. Parties of 
explorers would sometimes meet with others on the 
same errand, on some inviting tract of first-rate land ; 
quarrels would ensue, about priority of discovery and 
improvement, which frequently ended in battles, and 
sometimes in the death of some of the parties. During 
this winter, McArthur made tomahawk improvements in 
many of the finest bottoms on the east side of the Scioto 
river. This pleasing dream of wealth was of short du- 
ration : the pioneers soon discovered they had no favors 
to expect, for conquering and defending the country. 
They were generally poor, did not understand farming 
for profit, and were entirely unacquainted with trade and 
traffic ; and when peace came, they were far behind the 
new emigrants, who settled among them, in all the arts 



92 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

which distinguish civilized life. The old backwoodsmen 
were strangers to the various arts of making money : 
hunting, trapping, and war was their trade ; and before 
they could change their habits and customs to the new 
order of things which a state of peace brought about, 
they found themselves elbowed out of the way by the 
more wealthy and dexterous emigrants. 

Duncan McArthur, while engaged on the numberless 
surveying tours with General Massie, would sometimes 
settle the compass to the proper course, and sometimes 
would be permitted to run lines ; in this way he became 
familiar with the face of the compass. Being then in 
the twenty-fourth year of his age, he went to school a 
few weeks, and studied arithmetic, till he mastered the 
rule of Three. He then exchanged his rifle, his beaver 
traps, and other hunting accouterments, for a surveyor's 
instruments, determined at least to learn the practical 
part of surveying. This was a new and hopeful era in 
his life. 

Duncan McArthur studied surveying about as long as 
the illustrious Patrick Henry is represented to have 
studied law, and with the same intuitive success. 
Neither knew but little of the theory of their professions 
when they commenced their career, yet both excelled in 
their vocations. Mr. Henry was an unrivaled orator, and 
only a theoretic statesman, and from indolence was un- 
versed in the details of legislation. General McArthur 
was no orator, but by his habits of close investigation 
and persevering industry, he was a competent surveyor, 
and a practical statesman, understanding the wants and 
the condition of the people, and pursuing that course in 
his public career, best calculated to promote their inter- 
ests and happiness. 

Duncan McArthur's ambition would have been com- 
pletely gratified at this period of his life, could he have 
then acquired a competent estate in lands, free from in- 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 93 

cumbrance, on which he could live in a state of inde- 
pendence. How little we know what would be our feel- 
ings and conduct under a change of circumstances. 
Having now a surveyor's compass, he was prepared to 
become an assistant surveyor to the first who would fur- 
nish him employment. 

General Nathaniel Massie was a man of enterprise, 
largely engaged in locating warrants and surveying lands. 
An assistant surveyor of McArthur's energy and perse- 
verance was, to General Massie, an invaluable acquisi- 
tion. He soon became a competent and skilful surveyor. 
At no period of his life did he possess a very sprightly 
and active mind ; but although his conceptions were 
slow, what he once acquired he never lost. In whatever 
business he engaged, he was distinguished for an untiring 
diligence, and an energy that never yielded to difficul- 
ties. 

In February, 1796, General McArthur was married to 
Nancy, daughter of William and Effie McDonald, and 
sister to the author of this narrative. 

In the month of March, in this year, General Massie 
was preparing and engaging a party to make a new set- 
tlement somewhere in the fertile valley of the Scioto 
river. The inducements held out by Massie, to encour- 
age emigrants to follow him into the wilderness, were an 
in-lot and an out-lot in the new town, which he intended 
to lay out, and one hundred acres of land for eighty 
dollars. A numerous party, principally from Kentucky, 
collected at Manchester. Some of them went by water 
in canoes, taking with them plows, hoes, axes, &c, &c. 
The residue of the party went by land, with their horses, 
to meet those who went by water, at the mouth of Paint 
creek. They met at that point ; and the site on which 
Chillicothe was erected, was selected for the new town. 
The town was laid out into lots, and all went to work 
with spirit. This was the first settlement made in the 



94 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

western country in peace. It was a new era in their 
lives. 

McArthur, now an assistant surveyor to General 
Massie, aided him in laying out the town of Chillicothe ; 
and whilst thus engaged, Massie employed him for one 
year, for one in-lot and one out-lot in Chillicothe, and 
one hundred and fifty acres of land in the vicinity. This 
land soon became the residence of General McArthur; 
and to this small tract, others were soon added by indus- 
try and economy, and form the delightful residence of 
the general yet, so well known as " Fruit Hill." 

The present appearance and beauty of this residence, 
is such as to command the admiration of all the lovers 
of beautiful scenery. 

Much information was derived by McArthur from his 
skilful and experienced employer, and he derived all that 
an assistant surveyor could from a constant inspection 
and examination of Massie's plats and connections of this, 
then, new country. This year the contract of McArthur 
and Massie was fulfilled, to the mutual satisfaction of 
both parties. 

McArthur having located himself in a cabin, on his 
land thus acquired, commenced the business of locating 
and surveying Virginia military warrants, on his own 
account. He was unable to progress with any extraor- 
dinary rapidity, in the first stages of his business, but 
only proceeded industriously and slowly, like most 
young men, in the business which he had selected for 
himself. Having,- at this time, but a slight knowledge 
of books, and exhibiting in his manners the unpolished 
backwoodsman, it was not until after some slight expe- 
rience and labor in his new vocation, obtained him a 
reputation for promptitude and unquestionable capacity 
in the discharge of the important duties of a locator 
of warrants in the Virginia Military District, that he 
acquired the confidence of holders of warrants, then con- 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 95 

stantly visiting this region of country. But he soon 
acquired a reputation equal to any in this business, 
and combining with it the purchase and sale of warrants 
and land himself, he soon began to reap the rewards of 
industry and perseverance, in the acquisition of property, 
and in establishing a decided character, as a man of 
business, and most competent locator and surveyor. 

In 1798, after Ross county was organized, he was ap- 
pointed and commissioned a captain in the militia, by 
Governor St. Clair. 

McArthur continued his land business with his wonted 
industry. Fortune favored his efforts, and with his ac- 
quisitions of property, he acquired a popularity equal to 
any of those, who had been favored with an early edu- 
cation and patronage. He was now largely engaged in 
land speculations, and used all the means within his 
power, to inform himself in the land laws of Virginia 
and Kentucky. His entries and surveys were made so 
special and correctly, that few, if any, of them could be 
interrupted or interfered with. Notwithstanding his care 
and precaution in this business, he had to cope with 
many men of unsurpassed energy and unquestioned 
capacity, and who, anxious, like himself, to promote 
their interests by every laudable and legal means, have 
had with him much litigation. Controversies relative to 
land and land titles, have given him an immense deal of 
trouble, vexation, and litigation. This has tended to 
impair his good opinion of mankind, and somewhat al- 
loyed his happiness, but his success was as signal and 
general as he could have expected. 

Having acquired more wealth than any of his fellow 
citizens in the Scioto valley, he began to take an active 
part in the politics of the country. Gen. Massie was 
then one of the most popular men in Ross county. He 
admired McArthur for his persevering industry, and close 
application to business ; and was upon all occasions his 



96 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

supporter and friend. In 1805, he was a candidate for 
the House of Representatives in the General Assembly 
of Ohio ; and as all the old pioneers were his personal 
friends and supporters, he was elected triumphantly, not- 
withstanding the violent opposition of many settlers of 
talents and capacity about Chillicothe. 

I have now sketched his character from his boyhood, 
as a packer across the Alleghany mountains — a private 
soldier — a salt boiler — a hunter and trapper — a spy on 
the frontier — a chain-carrier — a surveyor — and now a 
member of the legislature of Ohio. In every situation 
in which he was placed, he endeavored to lead those 
with whom he was associated. He was now placed in 
a situation of a new kind, and which required acquisi- 
tions of a different character from those he already pos- 
sessed. To attain these, he devoted himself to study. 
Not content to be a silent and passive member of the 
legislature, he soon exhibited his capacity for his new 
station and was heard with attention and respect, when- 
ever any subject was discussed in which he felt a pecu- 
liar interest. 

He became, unquestionably, the most popular man in 
Ross county, and continued to represent this county in 
the legislature, as often as his other avocations would 
permit. • He was exceedingly popular with the members 
of the General Assembly, as is evidenced by his being 
elected speaker, to preside over the deliberations of that 
branch of the General Assembly of which he was a 
member. 

In 1806, he was elected Colonel of the first Regiment, 
second brigade, second division of Ohio militia. This 
division was then under the command of his old and tried 
friend Gen. Nathaniel Massie. 

When the United States had purchased Louisiana from 
France, it was rumored that Spain would refuse to sur- 
render the possession of the country to the United States, 



GENERAL DUNCAN m'aRTHUR. 97 

agreeably to her compact with France. Under these cir- 
cumstances, Congress authorized the President of the 
United States to raise a sufficient number of Volunteers, 
to take forcible possession of Louisiana, in case Spain 
should refuse peaceably to surrender the country. On 
this subject intense interest and excitement prevailed in 
the western country. It was there our trade must cen- 
ter. To be deprived of the advantage of this out-let for 
trade, the mouth of the Mississippi river, would it was 
supposed completely ruin the prospects of the western 
farmers. The state of Ohio was called upon to furnish 
her quota of men to be in readiness to march, to move 
on New Orleans, when required. When the call was 
made on the second division of the Ohio militia, the 
Scioto valley, although its population was sparse, furnish- 
ed a full regiment of men. The company officers of the 
regiment assembled in Chillicothe, and unanimously 
elected Duncan McArthur to the command of the regi- 
ment. Happily for the country, these troops were not 
called into serviee. The extensive country of Louisiana 
was obtained, and peaceable possession given, through 
the wise and moderate measures of President Jefferson. 

During the session of the General Assembly of 1807 
-8, General Massie resigned his commission as Major 
General of militia, in the state of Ohio. His office being 
vacant, the General Assembly elected Duncan McArthur, 
who was commissioned Major General of the second 
division of Ohio militia, on the twentieth day of February 
A. D. 1808. 



98 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 



CHAPTER V. 

In the spring of 1812, the difficulties which had been 
long increasing, between the United States and the Eng- 
lish nation were drawing to a crisis. The British had 
so long, and so wantonly, vexed our commerce by re- 
strictions, confiscations, and impressing our seamen, 
that they had completely exhausted the patience of the 
country. In consequence of the many vexations prac- 
tised by that government upon our commerce and citi- 
zens, Congress authorized the President of the United 
States to enroll and organize a number of volunteers, to 
hold themselves in readiness for marching at the shortest 
notice. McArthur, now a major general of militia, is- 
sued orders for his division to assemble by regiments, 
to see how many men would enroll themselves to march 
in the defence of the country, and to redress the wrongs 
which our citizens had suffered. He attended in person 
every regimental muster in his division, employing every 
argument in his power, which might induce his fellow- 
citizens to take the field. A sufficient number enrolled 
themselves to form a regiment. They were immediately 
organized into companies. McArthur enrolled himself 
as a private in a company raised in Chillicothe, com- 
manded by Captain William Keys. 

As soon as the companies were organized, they had or- 
ders to march to Dayton, the place of general rendezvous 
for the volunteers of Ohio. Here they were organized into 
battalions and regiments. The company officers, agree- 
ably to the laws of the state of Ohio, proceeded to elect 
their majors. Gen. James Denny of Circleville was 
elected to command the first battalion, and Mr. William 
Trimble of Highland county was elected to command 
the second battalion. The company officers and majors 
immediately went into an election for a colonel to com 



GENERAL DUNCAN m'aRTHUR. 99 

mand the regiment ; when on counting the ballots, Mc- 
Arthur received the unanimous vote of the officers of 
the regiment, and was accordingly commissioned Colonel 
of the first regiment of Ohio volunteers, on the 7th of 
May, 1812. 

Two other regiments of volunteers were enrolled in 
the state of Ohio, and rendezvoused at the same time 
and place. The one was commanded by Col. Lewis 
Cass, the other, by Col. James Findlay of Cincinnati. 
To these volunteer regiments, was added the fourth regi- 
ment of United States infantry, commanded by Colonel 
James Miller. These troops, when united, were placed 
under the command of Brigadier General William Hull 
of the United States army. Gen. Hull had been a sol- 
dier of some distinction in the war of the Revolution. 
James Taylor of Newport, Kentucky, was appointed 
Pay, and Quarter Master General. 

Our country had been so long blessed with peace, that 
organizing and equipping an army was new to the offi- 
cers. The necessary camp equipage to prepare the army 
for marching was slowly procured. This army of about 
eighteen hundred men, were camped in the environs of 
Dayton, till some time in June, before they were pre- 
pared to set forward on their march. 

From Dayton to Manary's Block-house (now Belle- 
fontaine) there was something like a wagon road for the 
army to march on. This was then the most northwardly 
settlement in the state of Ohio. From Manary's Block- 
house to Detroit was one unbroken wilderness ; a part 
of the way without even a foot-path. The country is 
remarkably level, intersected with swamps, marshes, and 
rivers. No provisions had been previously laid up 
by the government in advance of the army. They were 
compelled to carry their subsistence and forage in wa- 
gons. The road was to be made through the thick 
forests. Bridges were to be constructed over the marshy, 



100 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

spongy ground, where none but the solitary red, or white, 
hunter, or the Indian trader with his Canadian ponies 
had ever passed. The energy and perseverance of the 
Ohio volunteers overcame all the difficulties placed by 
nature in their way. 

Although war was not declared, the signs of the times 
were such, that the secretary of war sent an express rider 
after General Hull, with orders for him to hasten his 
march with all possible expedition to Detroit. 

General Hull employed through the recommendation 
of General Mc Arthur, the most efficient men for pilots. 
These guides were, first, Mr. Isaac Zane (brother to 
Col. Zane of Wheeling) who was then an old man. He 
had been taken prisoner by the Indians, when quite a 
youth ; he had married an Indian woman, and raised a 
numerous family. He had lived near the head of Mad 
river, (where Zanesfield now stands,) about fifty years ; 
and had been passing through the country to Detroit 
almost every year, either on hunting or trading ex- 
peditions. No man could be better acquainted with the 
localities and features of the country. A Mr. McPher- 
son, an old Indian trader and a man of vigorous mind, 
who had been passing through the country, for upwards 
of twenty years, on similar business with Zane, was 
another ; and Mr. Robert Armstrong, who had been taken 
prisoner by the Indians when a child, and raised by 
them, was also selected. He had married a daughter of 
Mr. Zane, and was acquainted with every spot of ground 
between ManaryV block-house and Detroit. To these 
was added Mr. James L. Reed, an Indian trader for many 
years, and. who, in his frequent travels to and fro, through 
the country, between Mad river and Detroit, was well 
acquainted with every marsh and swamp in the country. 
"With these efficient men for pilots, the army commenced 
its march, with a numerous train of wagons. The 
making a new road through a wilderness country, inter- 



GENERAL DUNCAN M' ARTHUR. 101 

Dcrsed with rivers, marshes, and swamps, where few 
civilized men had ever passed, was, in itself, an enter- 
prise of considerable magnitude. 

The army went forward, till it arrived at Manary's 
block-house, then the outward settlement of Ohio. From 
this point north, a road was to be constructed. Colonel 
McArthur and his regiment went in advance, to make the 
road. The arms, and other accouterments, belonging to 
the regiment, were carried in wagons. The guides went 
forward, and with tomahawks marked the way. Mc 
Arthur divided his regiment by companies, and gave each 
company a distance of the road to make, in proportion 
to their numbers. Axes, grubbing-hoes, spades, and 
shovels, were provided ; and the regiment went to work 
with spirit. McArthur, accustomed to hard labor and a 
life in the woods from his youth, was perfectly at home 
while constructing the road through the wilderness. He 
showed the men, by his own example, that he was de- 
termined to do as much labor as was required of 
any of them. No difficulties discouraged him. By his 
example and encouragement, he excited such enthusiasm 
in both officers and privates, that every man worked as 
though the completion of the road depended on his single 
arm. He excited emulation amongst the companies, 
each endeavoring to do more than the others. With his 
regiment he constructed a road from Manary's block- 
house to Fort McArthur, a point on the Scioto river, in 
two days; a distance of thirty miles. It is probable 
that more labor was performed in those two days, than 
ever was done in the same time by the same number of 
men. 

Colonel McArthur's regiment was relieved, and the 
other regiments now in turn went in advance, to construct 
the road. Notwithstanding there was rain almost every 
day, there was no skulking or dodging : every regiment 
used all the exertions that were in the power of man, to 
8 



102 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

forward the work. There was probably as much talent 
and ambition in this little army, as was ever collected in 
one mass of equal numbers. Animation, enterprise, 
ambition, and emulation, concurred to enhance the pro- 
gress of this determined band. Here was Colonel James 
Miller, of the fourth regiment of United States infantry : 
a man of as cool, intrepid courage, as ever drew a blade 
to glitter in the sun. And Colonel Lewis Cass, who, 
though naturally of a good humored and indolent temper, 
would, when roused by emulation or danger, do all that 
man could be expected to do. There was Colonel James 
Findlay too, who, though usually dilatory, was now ex- 
cited by patriotism and ambition, to use every effort to 
outstrip the subject of this narrative. He had no supe- 
rior in his energy and decision, when stimulated, as he 
now was, by the call of his country, and competing 
with such men as Cass and McArthur in his country's 
service. 

To show that it was not a mere flash of popularity, 
which placed these gentlemen in the command of regi- 
ments, it is only necessary to point to their services in 
their subsequent career. In the tremendous battle near 
the Falls of Niagara, it was Colonel Miller who com- 
manded the successful assault, with the point of the 
bayonet, which took possession of the British artillery. 
He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and 
as such, when the war closed, was retained in the peace 
establishment of the army ; and subsequently appointed 
governor of Arkansas territory. 

Colonel Findlay was a citizen of Cincinnati, and had 
long possessed the confidence of the government, as well 
as of his fellow-citizens. When peace blessed our land 
with her smiling presence, he was elected a member of 
congress. He was an efficient member of that body, 
always acting independently, without permitting himself 
to be trammeled by the intrigues of party. A little more 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR 103 

than a year since, he was commanded by the Judge of 
the universe, to render an account of his stewardship. 
It is believed, by those who knew him well, that his 
vouchers will be found genuine, and that no defalcations 
will be found against him. 

Colonel Cass was subsequently appointed a brigadier- 
general in the United States army ; and when peace was 
made, he was appointed governor of Michigan territory. 
He recently filled the office of secretary of war, and now 
is our minister plenipotentiary at France. 

The two majors of Colonel McArthur's regiment, 
were men who could be relied on in all situations. 
Major Denny, of the first battalion, was a gentleman of 
talents and unquestioned courage. He was frequently 
elected a member of the legislature, clerk of the county 
and supreme courts, and also a major-general of militia. 
He has long since passed " the bourn whence no trav- 
eler returns." He was buried in the city of Philadelphia. 

Major Trimble, of the second battalion, was a young 
man of much promise. He was promoted to the rank 
of colonel in the United States army ; and when the war 
ended, he was retained on the peace establishment of the 
army. He was subsequently elected a senator in the 
congress of the United States, by the general assembly 
of Ohio. His public career was of short duration. He 
had received a severe wound in the battle of Fort Erie ; 
from the effects of which he never recovered, and which 
no doubt sent him prematurely to his grave. 

Colonel Mc Arthur appointed for the staff-officers of 
his regiment, the following persons, viz. William 
Henry Puthuff, Adjutant; Richard Douglas, Quarter 
Master. 

Adjutant Puthuff was a man of talents and education, 
and unquestioned bravery ; very energetic and punctilious 
in the performance of his duty ; and in exacting the sub- 
ordination of others. He has long since paid the debt 



104 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

of nature ; and now lies buried on the banks of Lake 
Michigan. 

The quarter-master was a man of eccentric genius and 
of singular humor. He has been a member of the Ohio 
legislature, and is now a practising lawyer of distinguished 
eminence. 

The humble author of this narrative received the 
appointment of paymaster to the regiment. Of his 
character and actions it would be improper for him to 
speak. Suffice it to say, that he served in the army, in 
various situations, to the close of the war, free from 
censure. This circumstance is only referred to, to show 
how he came by a knowledge of the men and things 
of whieh he writes. Having endeavored to do his duty 
in the army, he is now attempting to record, for the 
gratification of posterity, the characters and actions of 
men, who risked their lives in defence of their country. 

I will now return from this digression to the army. 
The army went forward without making a halt, till they 
arrived at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee. Here 
one day of repose was allowed the soldiers, to rest their 
weary limbs. The march was again resumed, with 
renewed vigor. On their march, between the Maumee 
and the river Raisin, an express rider from the secretary 
of war, came up with the army, with official intelligence, 
that congress had declared war. This official news put 
the army out of suspense. They now knew that they 
would soon be engaged in very different labor than in 
constructing roads. The army went on at a rapid pace, 
passed the river Raisin, and went on till they came to 
the river Huron. This river was so deep, that it could 
not be forded with the numerous train of wagons. It is 
nearly three hundred feet over, and it was necessary to 
construct a bridge. The bridge was erected in one day, 
and by night the army and baggage were safely across 
the river, and camped for the night on the north bank 



105 

of the river Huron. The bridge was nearly a mile from 
lake Erie. Late in the evening of this day, the enemy's 
brig, Queen Charlotte, came sweeping up the lake, and 
hovered about the mouth of the river Huron, to make 
observations on the movements of our army. When 
daylight returned, the Queen Charlotte was not to be 
seen. The army resumed its march, and that evening, 
the fifth of July, arrived at Detroit, the place of their 
destination. Here a few days of repose was allowed the 
weary soldiers. 



CHAPTER VI. 



The artillery, which lay in the fort and batteries in 
and around Detroit, were in the worst possible condition. 
The gun carriages were old and decayed, and in every 
respect unfit for immediate use. The artificers were set 
to work to repair the artillery carriages ; every means in 
the power of man was exerted, to place the army in a 
situation to march upon Fort Maiden, only eighteen miles 
distant. Repose and inaction did not suit the enterprising 
character of General Hull's field officers. The unavoid- 
able delay in preparing the artillery for effective service, 
appeared like eternity to the fiery spirits under the com- 
mand of General Hull. Among the most impatient and 
restless at this delay, was McArthur. He urged General 
Hull to cross the river Detroit with the army, and attack 
Fort Maiden without delay ; insisting that the present 
was the auspicious moment to carry the fort ; that the 
garrison consisted only of a few regular troops and some 
Canadian militia; that, from unquestioned information, 
the walls of the fort were in a state of dilapidation, the 
pickets rotten, and that the Canadian militia were not 
disposed to risk much in its defence. General Hull 



106 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

thought the enterprise more hazardous than his field 
officers were willing to admit, and did not wish to invade 
Canada, and attack Maiden, till his artillery was repaired ; 
he would then be prepared to batter down the walls, 
should the enemy refuse to surrender the place. 

As soon as two or three of the gun carriages were re- 
paired, the cannon were placed on them, and the field 
officers again urged General Hull to cross into Canada. 
They contended, that if the army would cross the river 
Detroit, and camp in Sandwich, that it would cut off the 
communication between Maiden, and the settlements on 
lake St. Clair and the river Thames, and thus weaken 
the resources of the enemy. At length, General Hull, 
to get rid of the importunities of his field officers, issued 
orders for the army to prepare to invade the enemy's 
country. The morning of the 12th of July was fixed 
upon for the purpose. Boats were prepared, and rowed 
up the river with muffled oars, to opposite the lower end 
of Hog Island, about two miles above the city of Detroit. 
McArthur, during this busy night of preparation, had 
marched his regiment down the river to a place called 
Spring Wells, three miles below the city, and had floated 
down the river some old boats to the same place, and ap- 
peared to be making every demonstration of crossing the 
river Detroit at this place. This maneuver was only a 
feint, to draw the attention of the enemy to defend a 
point where no attack was meditated. There was con- 
siderable marching and counter-marching kept up till 
near day, when a few men were left at Spring Well, to 
keep up a noise, while McArthur silently drew off his 
regiment, and marched up in rear of Detroit, to opposite 
the lower end of Hog Island, where he joined the main 
body of the army. Here a sufficient number of boats 
were provided, in which to convey two regiments of 
troops at a time. To Colonels Cass and Miller was con- 
fided the honor of leading the van. The men composing 



GENERAL DUNCAN 3»l' ARTHUR. 107 

the regiments were seated in the boats ; and as soon as it 
was light enough to distinguish objects at a distance, 
General Hull gave the word to shove off with the boats 
for the Canada shore. The boats were crowded with 
soldiers, the oars were double manned, and moved off in 
a line, and kept their front well dressed : not a word was 
spoken by the soldiers in the boats, nor by those on land ; 
every eye was strained towards the Canadian shore. 
The river is a mile broad at this place : it took a good 
while to row the heavy loaded boats across. The anxiety 
and intense feeling which pervaded that part of the army 
on shore, as well as the citizens of Detroit, who were 
viewing the scene, was painful in the highest degree. 
When they had got about half way across the river, two 
men in British uniform came riding up the river at full 
speed. The question of interest was, were they backed 
by soldiers, to attack our companions, when they would 
reach the shore. The boats went on in good order, 
keeping abreast of each other, and went ahead in the 
most profound silence. As they had neared the shore, 
the two British horsemen galloped down the river. The 
boats having kept their line well dressed, they nearly all 
made the shore at the same time. The moment the 
boats touched land, Colonels Cass and Miller were the 
first to leap on shore. Their men followed, and rushing 
up the bank of the river, formed in line without any re- 
sistance. Now was raised a tremendous shout. The 
boats returned with all possible expedition, and one 
regiment after another crossed the river in quick succes- 
sion. In a few hours the main army was safely landed 
on the Canadian shore. The maneuver played by Mc- 
Arthur the previous night, about Spring Well, had drawn 
the attention of the enemy, to guard against an invasion 
from that quarter ; and as there was but a small number 
of the enemy at the place, as soon as they knew our 
army had landed above them, they retreated to Maiden. 



108 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

The army marched down the river, opposite the city 
of Detroit, and less than a mile above the village of Sand- 
wich ; and commenced making a regular encampment. 
The baggage, tents, ammunition, and provisions, were 
brought across the river the same evening, and the army 
now appeared to be perfectly at home in the enemy's 
country. So much can ambitious, energetic spirits, ac- 
complish in a short time, when their whole souls are 
fixed on any particular enterprise. 

The army having safely landed without opposition, 
Upper Canada appeared to have fallen without a blow. 
The northern army, under the command of General 
Dearborn, it was understood, would simultaneously in- 
vade Canada from Black Rock, and so divide the force 
and attention of the British general, that he would be 
unable to send any efficient aid to his forces in the neigh- 
borhood of Maiden. Our troops were too sanguine: 
they were entire strangers to the manner of carrying on 
war with a people, as full of resources as was the Brit- 
ish nation. In General Hull's army, there were few 
who had ever smelled the smoke of enemies' powder ; 
and the few who had seen any thing like war, were 
those frontier men who had been engaged in the old In- 
dian wars. An Indian campaign was like a horse race — 
it was soon ended. As neither the Indians nor whites 
of that day had stores, or resources, except such as were 
carried with them in their armies, neither could remain 
long in the field. A battle must be immediately fought, 
or their armies must disband for want of subsistence. 

As soon as the army were camped near Sandwich, 
there was then no material obstruction in the way to 
Maiden ; and Colonels McArthur and Cass urged an im- 
mediate attack on Maiden, which was only eighteen 
miles distant. General Hull represented an attack on a 
fortified place, without artillery, as an act of rashness, 
for which he would not be responsible ; that the army 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itt' ARTHUR. 109 

would be in danger of meeting a repulse, which might 
damp the ardor of the troops, and thus essentially injure 
the service. 

General Hull had previously employed some confiden- 
tial men, who were friendly to the United States and 
residents of Canada, to pass through the country around 
lake St. Clair, and up the river Thames, and down lake 
Erie as far as Long Point. From the report of these 
men, he had learned, that the enemy had considerable 
military stores collected on the Thames ; and as Colonel 
McArthur appeared to be the most restive and uneasy in 
a state of inaction, General Hull concluded to find him 
some employment, and ordered him, with a detachment, 
to proceed up lake St. Clair and the river Thames, to 
seize, if possible, the stores which the enemy had col- 
lected at that place. 

Being now in the enemy's country, some circumspection 
was to be used, that the object of the expedition should be 
crowned with success. The country through which his 
detachment had to pass, along lake St. Clair and up the 
Thames, was filled up with a dense population ; and to 
effect his object secrecy and dispatch were indispensable 
in his movements. He left General Hull's camp a little 
after night set in, with Major Denny's battalion of infan- 
try and a few horsemen, and made a rapid march up the 
river Detroit, and up lake St. Clair. At morning light 
he was more than twenty miles on his way. As delay 
would enable the enemy to conceal, or move the stores 
out of his reach, no time was lost on the march. 

In passing up what is there called the king's highway, 
an incident occurred which caused a short halt. A deep, 
narrow stream runs into lake St. Clair, over which creek 
is constructed a good frame bridge, and near this bridge 
was an Indian trading establishment. Here were some 
British Indians, who, a few minutes before McArthur's 
detachment arrived at the place, had, by some means 



110 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

been apprised of his advance, and immediately got into 
their canoes, and pushed up the creek. As soon as Mc- 
Arthur was informed of their movement, he took with him 
some horsemen, and pursued the Indians up the creek, 
at full speed. The low ground along the creek was a 
prairie. This open ground afforded the Indians an op- 
portunity of seeing their pursuers at a distance. When 
they discovered themselves pursued, they landed their 
canoes, and took to flight on foot, and made for the 
thick brush ; and were soon out of danger from horse- 
men. Search was made for them, but all in vain. " The 
birds had flown." As they were about giving up the 
pursuit, they found, in the thick top of a fallen tree, con- 
cealed, an Indian woman and two papooses, the one 
about two years old, the other about four or five. These 
poor creatures were almost frightened to death : they 
were the most perfect representations of despair I ever 
witnessed. They were conveyed back to their canoes, 
and thence down the creek to the bridge : here they 
were set at liberty. This Indian woman appeared to be 
about twenty-five years of age, with a full formed and 
interesting person. She expected that herself and her 
little ones would be instantly put to death. When she 
found herself undeceived, and that she and her little pa- 
pooses were treated with kindness, I never witnessed 
such a transformation in the countenance of a human 
being. From a fixed state of gloomy, sullen despera- 
tion, her countenance brightened with gratitude, and in 
an instant she was transformed into a lovely and interest- 
ing female. This little incident detained the detachment 
probably an hour. 

The march was resumed with fresh vigor, and late in 
the evening they arrived at what was called the Dolson 
settlement on the river Thames. The detachment had 
marched one night and day without taking any repose* 
So rapid had been the march, that no tidings of their 



GENERAL DUNCAN m'aRTHUR. Ill 

approach had reached his majesty's loyal subjects on 
the Thames. The detachment were considerably weari- 
ed by the hard march and want of sleep, and camped 
this night around the house of a Mr. Dolson ; this Dol- 
son was a man of wealth ; the moment he saw the de- 
tachment, he fled to the woods. After the camp was 
formed, and sentinels stationed, Mrs. Dolson invited the 
officers to take supper with her ; the invitation was cheer- 
fully accepted. McArthur inquired for her husband, she 
replied "that her husband was not very distant; but 
that he did not feel himself quite safe at home, on the pre- 
sent evening, and had stepped out of the way." Mc- 
Arthur assured her, that the Americans only made war 
on soldiers with arms in their hands, that neither private 
citizens nor private property would be disturbed ; that if 
her husband was within reach he would like to see him 
at the head of the table. Upon this assurance, and the 
privilege of passing the watchful sentinels, Mrs. Dolson 
sent a messenger, and in a little time Mr. Dolson came 
in and presided at the table. The evening passed off in 
as social glee, as if war had never been heard of. 

By the dawn of day, McArthur had his detachment in 
motion, and proceeded rapidly to Col. McGregor's mills, 
the place of his destination. This Col. McGregor was 
a man of large property, a member of the Canadian par- 
liament. His mills and warehouses were on an exten- 
sive scale. In his warehouse was found upwards of 
three hundred barrels of flour, branded " for his majesty's 
service ;" there was also found a number of bales of 
merchandize, marked for the " Indian department :" 
several keel boats were lying near the mills to convey 
the flour and merchandize to such places, as they might 
be most needed. 

McArthur took possession of the property, and passed 
receipts to Col. McGregor for these stores, that Col. 
McGregor should be able to show his majesty how they 



112 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

had been disposed of ; and then stowed them into the 
keel boats which were before prepared for that purpose. 
As soon as the boats were loaded, Major Denny was 
placed in charge of them, and proceeded down the 
Thames with the booty. As Col. McGregor was a 
member of the Canadian parliament, McArthur made a 
prisoner of him, but permitted him to go on parole. The 
few horsemen who accompanied the expedition were 
divided into two squads ; one squad went in advance of 
the boats, to reconnoiter lest some ambuscade might be 
planned to intercept their return ; the other squad re- 
mained in the rear of the boats lest they might be pur- 
sued and surprised ; they moved on rapidly till they ar- 
rived in Lake St. Clair, at the mouth of the Thames. 
Here McArthur in person took command of the boats, 
and went down Lake St. Clair with them to Detroit ; 
whilst Major Denny took charge of the horsemen and 
made a rapid move for General Hull's camp. No 
accident or loss happened during this excursion of up- 
wards of sixty miles into the enemy's country. This 
expedition was performed in three days and nights ; 
and shows the activity and perseverance of the command- 
er of the detachment. The flour lent by his majesty on 
this occasion was a very seasonable supply, as the store 
in our army was not abundant. 

Whilst Col. McArthur was on the expedition up the 
Thames, General Hull was using every effort in his 
power to cause the artillery to be prepared for effective 
use. Two large floating batteries were constructed, on 
which to carry the large thirty pounders, to drive the 
enemy's brig, the Queen Charlotte, from her anchorage 
above Maiden, and to aid in battering down the walls of 
Maiden. 

On the same evening that Col. McArthur returned to 
the camp with his detachment, in his absence General 
Hull had ordered Col. Cass with his regiment down the 







G-cn. Cass. 



113 

river Detroit, to the neighborhood of Maiden to make ob- 
servations. Col. Cass had proceeded down nearly to the 
mouth of the river Auxcanard, which is very deep and 
narrow, over which was constructed a good frame bridge ; 
near the bridge lay a detachment of the enemy, for the 
purpose of preventing our troops from crossing. By his 
reconnoitering parties, Col. Cass was advised of the pro- 
bable number and situation of the enemy at this place. 
There was a ford on this river, about three miles above 
the bridge ; he concluded that if he could cross the 
country and pass the river at this shallow ford unper- 
ceived, that he could come down the river on the Mai- 
den side, and take or destroy the party of the enemy, 
who were guarding the bridge. His plan was well laid, 
and as promptly executed, but without the success which 
was anticipated. Military affairs sometimes appear to 
be the sport of chance : a few minutes of time, sooner or 
later in occupying a particular point decides favorably, 
or frustrates the best laid plans. Col. Cass crossed the 
river, and got within about half a mile of the enemy before 
he was discovered. Some of their reconnoitering parties 
had espied him, and gave the alarm. The enemy re- 
treated rapidly, and Cass pursued, keeping up a 
scattering and distant fire, which did but little injury. 
The enemy retreated under the walls of Maiden, and 
Cass pursued them till he was within range of their 
cannon ; he then retired, and returned to camp without 
being pursued or disturbed on his march. In this skir- 
mish several lives were lost on both sides. 

The British commander believed that Col. Cass com- 
manded the advance of Gen. Hull's army, and under this 
impression, he began to prepare himself to endure a siege. 
He concluded the retreat of Cass only a feint to draw out 
the garrison ; under this belief he permitted a handful of 
men to depart unmolested. Cass and McArthur returned to 
camp about the same time. McArthur's success added to 



114 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the resources of the army ; Cass obtained a personal know- 
ledge of the difficulties to be encountered on their future 
march to Maiden. 

The artillery were at length in a state of preparation 
for effective use, and the long-looked for time to make a 
descent on Maiden, appeared to be fast approaching. 
Troops were kept constantly on the road between Sand- 
wich and Maiden ; several unimportant skirmishes took 
place on and near this road. The enemy constantly kept a 
guard at the Auxcanard bridge ; and any of our small parties 
who had a relish for a fight, knew where they could be ac- 
commodated. If they went to the bridge, they were sure 
of meeting some of the red coats, or Tecumseh with his 
Indians. Here Col. Findlay had a bout, in which he 
took and lost some lives. Here, Captain Snelling of the 
fourth infantry had some practice. Here, McArthur had 
a flurry with the Indians, in which he had several men 
wounded and his horse shot in the top of the forehead ; 
the horse reeled but was not materially injured. Here, 
too, the brave Major Denny had a severe brush with the 
Indians, in which he lost seven or eight men killed, one 
taken prisoner, and several wounded. The prairies and 
woods in the neighborhood of the bridge were the theater 
of considerable maneuvers, where the raw soldiers were 
drilled and practised to the sharp whistle of the enemy's 
balls. 

On the seventh of August, General Hull issued orders 
for the troops to be in readiness to march for Maiden the 
next morning. The artillerists had their guns prepared, 
the heavy thirty-two pounders were placed on the float- 
ing batteries. The infantry scoured and oiled their fire- 
arms ; the horsemen sharpened and oiled their swords, 
that they might be easily drawn from their scabbards. 
Every officer and private appeared as anxious for the 
combat, as ever bride or bridegroom were for the wedding 
night. 



115 

The long-looked for morning came, the word for 
marching was given by the General, not upon Maiden, 
but to retrace our steps to the American side of the river 
Detroit. Surprise and amazement shrouded every face in 
sullen gloom and disappointment ! Was it caprice, or 
cowardice, or was it treason in the General, which so 
suddenly and unexpectedly changed the destination of 
the army ? Mystery appeared to hang over the move- 
ment ! No explanation for the retrograde movement of 
the army was given. Major Denny of McArthur's regi- 
ment, was left on the Canadian shore in charge of our 
old camp ; and before night, the main army was stationed 
in the forts, and on the commons of the city of Detroit. 

By this sudden, retrograde movement of the army, 
General Hull lost the army's confidence ; a kind of 
gloomy suspicion of the General's patriotism was open- 
ly expressed, by officers and privates. No council of 
officers was called before this hasty retreat was made : 
the army was completely at fault, no reason having been 
assigned for this mysterioue movement. 

It is believed, when General Hull first invaded Can- 
ada, that if he had gone down (it was only eighteen 
miles distant) and paraded his army before Maiden, that 
the garrison would have surrendered without an effort at 
defence. This might have been the case, but it might 
not. Had his troops been repulsed with loss of men, 
the world would have reprobated his rashness in at- 
tempting to take a fortified garrison without artillery. 
The delay necessary to repair the gun carriages was a 
misfortune for which he was not responsible. For this 
delay the then administrators of government were culp- 
able ; at least the secretary of war, who was acquainted 
with the views of the administration, should have caused 
the artillery, at the most exposed frontier post, to be in 
a state of such repair as to be fit for immediate use. 

It is necessary now that v.he cause of General Hull's 
9 



116 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

retreat from Canada should be given. On the seventh 
of August, he received some letters sent by express, by 
General Hall and General P. B. Porter, who command- 
ed the American troops on the Niagara frontier, inform- 
ing him that a large British force from the neighborhood 
of Niagara were preparing to move up Lake Erie to 
Maiden. In addition to this startling intelligence, as 
previously stated, General Hull had employed some 
Canadians, in whom he had the utmost confidence, to 
travel through Canada, to observe the motions of the 
enemy, and give him intelligence of their movements. 
On the night preceding the contemplated attack on fort 
Maiden, a Mr. Watson, one of his confidential Canadian 
spies, arrived in camp, and assured General Hull, that 
the British General Brock was at fort Erie collecting all 
his disposable force, and placing them on board ships and 
boats destined for Maiden. That as soon as he (Watson) 
learned the destination of General Brock, he mounted 
his horse, and came with the utmost speed to acquaint 
General Hull with the reinforcements with which Mai- 
den would be strengthened. The letters from Generals 
Hall and Porter, and the communication made by Mr. 
Watson, all came upon General Hull simultaneously, 
alarmed him, and were the cause of his retreat from 
Canada. That the intelligence received by General Hull 
was correct, is proved by the fact, that General Brock 
arrived at Maiden in a day or two after, with six hun- 
dred regular troops. To understand this movement of 
the British army, we must turn our attention to the con- 
duct of General Dearborn, who then commanded the 
American armies on the northern frontier ; that on the 
Niagara, down Lake Ontario, and on the St. Lawrence. 
General Sir George Prevost was the commander in chief 
of the enemy's armies. The English government had 
repealed their " orders in council," which " orders" were 
one of the prominent causes of the war. On the repeal 



117 

of these " orders in council," General Prevost made ap- 
plication to General Dearborn for a cessation of arms, 
thinking it probable that a repeal of those vexatious " or- 
ders in council" would pave the way to a restoration of 
peace. General Dearborn, without reflecting on its con- 
sequence, in an unguarded moment, agreed to a cessa- 
tion of arms on the whole length of his line of command, 
for forty days, commencing on the first day of August, 
1812. As soon as a copy of the arrangement for this 
armistice reached the city of Washington, it was obvious 
that General Dearborn had been overreached by his an- 
tagonist. As General Hull's field of operation was not 
included in the armistice, the British General would now 
have an opportunity of concentrating all his forces, and 
overwhelm General Hull's army during the continuance 
of the armistice. 

The secretary of war "promptly informed General 
Dearborn that the arrangement was disapprobated by the 
President of the United States, and peremptorily ordered 
to put an end to it as speedily as possible." The arm- 
istice was broken off on the twenty-ninth day of August, 
but not before the British General had effected the de- 
struction of General Hull. Of all the military blunders 
during the late war, that produced the most fatal conse- 
quences. It was the primary cause of the capitulation 
of the garrison of Detroit ; General Hull's surrender was 
the cause of preparing the way for those scenes of sa- 
vage butcheries and miseries, that were perpetrated in 
Michigan and on the frontiers of Ohio, which clothed 
Kentucky and Ohio in mourning. 

Had it not been for that fatal armistice, the American 
troops from the lower end of Lake Erie, would have in- 
vaded Canada at the same time that General Hull 
was preparing to attack Fort Maiden, and thus would 
have kept the British General Brock in play on the 
Niagara frontier; and General Hull would doubtless 



118 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

have taken Maiden ; the Indians would then have been 
quiet, and the upper lakes, for a time at least, would 
scarcely have heard the alarms of war. 



CHAPTER VII. 

About the time General Brock was concentrating his 
forces at Maiden, Captain Henry Brush, of Ohio, with a 
company of volunteers, consisting of about a hundred and 
fifty men, raised in the town of Chillicothe and its vicin- 
ity, arrived at the river Raisin, thirty-six miles south of 
Detroit, escorting a large supply of provision for our 
army. General Brock received intelligence of the ap- 
proach of Captain Brush, and as this escort would neces- 
sarily have to pass Brownstown, which is opposite to 
Maiden, and only four miles from thence, he determined 
to intercept Captain Brush's convoy. General Brock 
placed his Indians, and a few regular troops to give the 
Indians confidence, at Brownstown, to watch the motions 
of Captain Brush, and to cut off the communication 
from Ohio with Hull's army. 

Captain Brush was a lawyer of distinguished eminence, 
a man of talents, and a vigilant officer. He was advised 
of the trap laid by the enemy, to intercept him on his 
way to the army ; and sent an express rider through the 
woods to General Hull, to advise him of his critical sit- 
uation. General Hull sent Major Vanhorn, with a bat- 
talion of troops, to meet Captain Brush, and to escort 
the convoy of provisions to Detroit. The British and 
Indians met Major Vanhorn's detachment at Brownstown, 
a battle ensued, and Vanhorn was defeated with consid- 
erable loss. This has been called the battle of Browns- 
town. 

As provision was running short at Detroit, and as 



119 

Captain Brush had a considerable quantity with him, 
General Hull determined to make another effort to aid 
his advance. For this purpose, he sent Colonel Miller 
with the fourth regiment of United States infantry, and 
Major Vanhorn with his battalion of volunteers, to bring 
in Captain Brush's convoy of provision. When this de- 
tachment had marched to an old Indian town, called 
Maguagua, three miles above Brownstown, they were 
met by a numerous party of British and Indians. A se- 
vere and stubborn battle ensued: the enemy were de- 
feated. Colonel Miller, with the energy and promptitude 
which distinguished him in numerous battles since, drove 
the red coats and yellow jackets from their coverts with 
the bayonet. The loss of the enemy in this obstinate 
affair was very considerable ; nor was the victory cheaply 
gained. We had a number of men killed, and about 
eighty wounded : nearly one-fourth in all. Colonel Mil- 
ler camped on the field of battle. He sent an express to 
General Hull, with the intelligence of his victory, and 
the loss he had sustained in the battle. The express 
from Colonel Miller arrived in Detroit some time before 
midnight. General Hull ordered Colonel McArthur to 
take two hundred of his regiment, and proceed forthwith 
to Colonel Miller's camp, and bring up the wounded to 
head quarters. Colonel McArthur procured some boats, 
in which he went down himself, and as many of his men 
as could procure horses went down by land. Some time 
after midnight, the detachment set off for Miller's camp. 
The night was dark and stormy, the rain fell in torrents, 
the thunder rolled in long vibrations along the broad 
river Detroit ; but the poor soldier had no choice : he 
had voluntarily placed himself as the sentinel and guard 
of his country ; he must endure the storms of the ele- 
ments, as well as repel the storms of the enemy. The 
detachment arrived at Colonel Miller's camp some time 
after daylight, a distance of fifteen miles. About this 



120 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

time it ceased raining. Arrangements were soon made 
to place the wounded in the boats, in order for their re- 
moval to head quarters. Colonel McArthur sent two 
companies in advance of the boats, to keep a look out, 
lest the enemy should lay in ambush along the shore ; 
whilst he in person directed the movements of the boats, 
to encourage the boatmen and soldiers to propel them up 
the heavy current, with all possible dispatch. The 
Gros Isle, which is eight miles long, is situated be- 
twixt Colonel Miller's camp and Maiden; the main 
channel for large vessels is to the Maiden side of the 
island, Miller's camp is opposite the middle of the island, 
and Maiden nearly opposite the lower end. That part 
of the river which runs between Miller's camp and the 
island is about four hundred yards over. On this busy 
day the British and Indians were seen running up and 
down the island, watching the motions of our troops on 
the main land. From the other side of the island, they 
could communicate by signals to their friends in Maiden 
the movements of our troops. 

McArthur was making all the head way he could with 
his squadron of boats along the shore. The enemy's 
brig Hunter, well manned, was discovered sailing up the 
river with a fair breeze, to intercept our boats, as soon 
as they should pass the upper point of the island. The 
boats being crowded with the wounded, to attempt pass- 
ing the enemy's ship, which was mounted with twelve 
guns of six and nine pounders, would have been mad- 
ness. The Hunterxame round the point of the island, 
within two hundred and fifty yards of the American 
shore, and dropped anchor with her broadside facing the 
shore. McArthur was now placed in an unexpected 
dilemma ; to pass the enemy's ship in safety was im- 
possible ; he had no wagons or other carriages in which 
to convey the wounded to Detroit ; he landed his boats 
and sent an express to Colonel Miller with the intelli- 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 121 

gence of his critical situation. Col. Miller had three 
wagons and two carts with his detachment, which were 
sent to Mc Arthur, and into these, the wounded were 
literally stowed away, and the escort commenced its 
march. When they came opposite to where the enemy's 
ship rode at anchor, the road passed immediately on the 
bank of the river, in full view of the enemy. A marshy 
quagmire from the land side reached nearly to the river 
edge, so that it was impossible to go with the wagons 
through the marsh, and no other alternative presented it- 
self than to drive the teams at full speed past the ship. 
The distance on the road, on which the wagons would 
be exposed to the enemy's broadside, was a little over a 
hundred yards, after that distance, the wagons would be 
covered by thick woods. When the first team was 
driven near this exposed piece of road, the driver halted, 
and refused to drive the team where he knew he would 
be exposed to the fire of the enemy's broadside. A Mr. 
Robert Smith, from the neighborhood of Chillicothe, 
came up, and swore he would drive the team through, 
if the enemy should send at him a storm of thunder and 
lightning. He mounted the saddle-horse, and with his 
whip fretted the team, and then at full speed set off to 
pass the enemy. As soon as Smith was in the open 
ground, as was expected, the enemy fired a broadside at 
the wagon. The wind was blowing a moderate gale, 
this caused the ship to rock with the waves, so that their 
aim was uncertain. The wagons and carts were all pass- 
ed at full speed, at every one of which was fired a 
broadside, from which no injury was received. This 
rapid drive of the wagons and carts, there is no doubt, 
was the ultimate cause of the death of several of the 
wounded. When the teams were running at full speed, 
and when the wagon wheels would come in contact with 
a stump, a root, or a stone, the jar would throw the 
wounded soldiers, in heaps upon each other ; in this way 



122 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the bandages would come loose, and the broken bones 
be torn from their places, and their wounds bleed afresh ; 
by the time the carriages had passed, the road was made 
slippery with the blood of the poor wounded soldiers. 
After passing this place, Colonel McArthur proceeded 
without meeting any further difficulties till he arrived 
at Detroit, where the wounded where placed in hospitals 
under the care of the surgeons. The next day, Colonel 
Miller returned to head quarters without having effected 
the object of his expedition, which was to meet Captain 
Brush's detachment, and escort the military stores to 
head quarters. 

Dangers were now thickening around Gen. Hull and 
his troops, and to add to his other perplexities provisions 
were growing short with the army. It was understood 
that Captain Brush, with his detachment and military 
stores, still remained at the river Raisin, only thirty-six 
miles distant on the direct road. Gen. Hull determined 
to make another effort to bring forward Captain Brush 
and the stores he had with him. For this purpose, he 
detached Colonels McArthur and Cass with five hundred 
men, with instructions to proceed in a southwest direc- 
tion, on a path which leads from Detroit to Fort Wayne, 
so far that an east course would make the settlement 
of the river Raisin : by taking this circuitous direction 
they would shun the dangerous, though direct, road 
passing through Brown's Town ; but the distance to the 
river Raisin, where Captain Brush lay would be greatly 
increased. Guides who were well acquainted with the 
country were procured to pilot the march of the detach- 
ment, which on Friday the 14th of August set off on 
this secret expedition. As the detachment were on foot, 
they went forward without baggage or provision, Gen. 
Hull having assured them that he would send provisions 
on pack-horses after them. The provisions were sent, 
but the packers lost their way, and did not find the de- 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 123 

tachment. Mc Arthur went on till Saturday afternoon, 
the 15th of August, when he was overtaken by an ex- 
press rider from head quarters, with instructions to re- 
turn to Detroit with all possible expedition. He was 
informed that Gen. Brock had come up from Maiden, 
and camped in the vicinity of Sandwich, immediately 
opposite to Detroit, and had demanded the surrender of 
the American army. This news was unexpected, pain- 
ful and alarming. McArthur with that promptness which 
marked his character through life, commenced retracing 
his steps for Detroit. This was in the evening of Satur- 
day, he was now more than thirty miles from head quar- 
ters, his detachment had been two days without subsis- 
tence. The path on which they had to march was nar- 
row, muddy, and full of logs and brush ; the soldiers 
were nearly exhausted by hunger and fatigue. The 
startling intelligence that Detroit, the head quarters of 
the army, was in danger of falling into the hands of the 
enemy in their absence added spurs to their march, they 
went on without a murmur as long as they could see the 
path ; at length they were halted, and supperless lay 
down to rest their weary limbs. Here they rested till 
the moon rose, which was some time before day-light, 
when they resumed their toilsome and feeble march. 
This was Sunday morning, August the 16th, and the 
third day they were without subsistence. About sunrise 
they had got within ten miles of Detroit ; they began to 
hear the roar of cannon ; the sound of the artillery was 
distinctly heard rolling up the river Rouge ; there was 
no doubt but that the two armies were engaged in deadly 
strife. Our faithful soldiers pressed steadily forward till 
they came within about four miles of Detroit. The fire 
of artillery had ceased for some time. Here they discov- 
ered a Canadian Frenchman running through a prairie. 
Col. McArthur sent some horsemen in pursuit, who 
overtook and brought in the fugitive. This man was a 



124 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Canadian who had joined our army, and who was now 
fleeing to bush to save his neck from the halter. He in- 
formed Col. McArthur, that Gen. Hull had surrendered 
the town, fort, and army to the enemy : that just as he 
had left the city, the English were marching into the 
fort ; that when he saw this, he knew that it was time 
for him to take to the woods to save his life. McArthur 
did not know whether to place confidence in the French- 
man's story or not. He continued his march on what 
was called the back road, and dispatched some horse- 
men to go in the rear of Detroit to make observations. 
These men returned with the assurance that the British 
colors were waving over the fort. Col. McArthur and 
his detachment were now placed in a most critical situa- 
tion ; the enemy in front and famine in the rear. This 
was the third day they had been without subsistence, 
and all the time engaged in forced marches ; such are the 
distresses, hardships, and privations common in a sol 
dier's life. Not a murmur nor complaint was uttered 
during this painful and perplexing scene. Here were 
five hundred of the choice spirits from the Scioto and 
Muskingum valleys, commanded by their favorite offi- 
cers. McArthur now ordered a retreat. After they had 
marched about two miles, a large ox was discovered 
feeding by the road side. Notwithstanding the critical 
and perplexing situation of the detachment, a halt was 
made to satisfy our pinching hunger. The ox was con- 
sidered a " God-send," he was shot, and fires were pre- 
pared in a shorter _time than ever before witnessed. The 
ox .was slaughtered in less time than any professed 
butchers could have done the deed. 

Whilst they were roasting their meat, two men on 
horseback, dressed in British uniform, and two Indians, 
were discovered with a white flag approaching us. The 
white men were Major Chambers and Captain Elliot, 
both of the British army, accompanied by two Indian 



125 

chiefs ; they carried with them the articles of capitula- 
tion of the American army by Gen. Hull. The bearers 
of the flag were placed under guard; Col. McArthur 
called all the commissioned officers together to consult 
about the propriety of embracing, or rejecting the prof- 
fered terms of the capitulation. After the most mature 
deliberation, it was concluded, that the chance of ef- 
fecting our retreat to Fort Wayne, which was the 
nearest place that supplies could be obtained, was 
too desperate to be effected by men already nearly ex- 
hausted with fatigue and famine : the proffered terms of 
the capitulation were acceded to, and the detachment 
forthwith marched into the city of Detroit, grounded their 
arms, and were prisoners of war. We were treated with 
kindness by the enemy. The terms of the capitulation 
were scrupulously complied with by the British general. 
The regular troops, with Gen. Hull at their head, were 
sent to Quebec. The volunteers and militia were soon 
on their way to their respective homes ; .where they 
safely arrived among their friends and relatives without 
any thing occurring worth relating. 

Thus was closed the disastrous expedition under the 
command of General Hull. I am aware that it is fashion- 
able to call General Hull a traitor ; and perhaps I may risk 
my character for patriotism, for doubting the allegation. 
Gen. Hull was surrounded with difficulties, which were 
not at the time sufficiently estimated. A wilderness of 
nearly two hundred miles in his rear ; add to this, the 
enemy had the undisputed command of the lakes ; they 
could convey their troops and military supplies by wa- 
ter to any point on which they wished to act, their men 
could step out of their ships fresh for action. This gave 
the British General a decided advantage. Numerous 
were the difficulties which General Hull had to encoun- 
ter during the last eight days previous to the capitulation. 
The first, in importance, was the fatal armistice, by 



126 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

which General Dearborn was overreached by Sir George 
Prevost, the British commander ; which afforded the 
enemy an opportunity of concentrating all their troops 
on the lower lake, as well as on lake Erie, to act against 
General Hull. About this time, Captain Henry Brush 
arrived at the river Raisin, with about one hundred and 
fifty men, and a considerable quantity of military stores. 
The river Raisin is about thirty-six miles south of De- 
troit ; and fort Maiden, the head-quarters of the enemy, 
about half way betwixt Detroit and the river Raisin : of 
course, Captain Brush, to go to Detroit, would have to 
pass near Maiden. Between the eighth and sixteenth of 
August, two battles were fought, with a view of aiding 
Captain Brush forward. The first at Brownstown, 
where Major Vanhorn was defeated. The second at 
Maguagou, where Colonel Miller defeated the enemy, 
but with the loss of nearly one fourth of his men killed 
and wounded. Such was his loss of men, that he was 
compelled to return to head-quarters without effecting the 
object of the expedition. General Hull, by express car- 
riers, w r ho passed through the woods, kept up a corre- 
spondence with Captain Brush. As Brush commanded 
a volunteer company of the elite citizens of Chillicothe 
and its vicinity, Colonel McArthur, being their neighbor, 
felt more than the usual interest to get them forward ; 
and as two previous expeditions had failed to effect that 
object, Colonels McArthur and Cass, with five hundred 
men, were detached to escort Captain Brush and the 
military stores from the river Raisin. It will be recol- 
lected, that General Hull's army consisted of only 
eighteen hundred men, exclusive of the citizens of De- 
troit. He had lost many of these in battle, more were 
disabled by wounds, and more still by disease : McAr- 
thur and Cass absent, with five hundred effective men, 
when the British general assailed him. Under all these 
untoward circumstances, something like despondency 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itf' ARTHUR. 127 

might show itself in a mind more vigorous than General 
Hull possessed, without any traitorous design. Had 
General Hull been advised that Colonels McArthur and 
Cass were within five or six miles when he capitulated, 
he should have been shot ; but this was impossible for 
him to know. 

How much of what appears to be accident, has a pow- 
erful influence in fixing the character and destiny of man. 
Had Colonels McArthur and Cass arrived at Detroit 
only three short hours sooner, no capitulation would 
have taken place ; a battle would have been fought, and, 
in all probability, General Hull's head would have been 
covered with laurels of victory. 

It was thought strange at the time, that the British 
general permitted Captain Brush to linger quietly for 
eight or ten days, within eighteen miles of Maiden, when 
he could have sailed in two hours within a mile of 
Brush's, camp, and thus with an overwhelming force have 
crushed him at a blow. General Brock displayed con- 
siderable generalship in not crushing Captain Brush, nor 
frightening him off. Captain Brush's long presence at 
the river Raisin, kept General Hull continually maneu- 
vering to relieve him. General Brock kept a strong 
force at Brownstown, through which place he knew 
Brush must pass to go to Detroit. Had General Brock 
crushed Brush, or driven him off, Colonels McArthur 
and Cass, with their five hundred men would have been 
in Detroit at General Brock's approach, and would, I 
have no doubt, have defeated him. Such is the uncer- 
tainty of war, that a few hours sooner or later in occupy- 
ing a particular point, changes the destiny of an army, 
and the character of its commander. The gross negli- 
gence and imbecility of the war department, in neglecting 
to have the artillery in repair at the most exposed fron- 
tier post, was culpable in the highest degree, liad the 
artillery been fit for use when the army arrived at De- 



128 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

troit, there is not a doubt General Hull would have taken 
Maiden. But could he have retained its possession, with 
his small force divided for the protection of Detroit as 
well as Maiden, had he possessed the] cautious intre- 
pidity of General Brown, or the fiery, impetuous spirit 
of General Jackson ? every military man will answer 
" No." The enemy having the undisputed control of the 
lakes, this combined with the advantage of the armistice, 
would have afforded the British general an opportunity 
of concentrating his forces, without resistance from any 
other quarter, to act against either post, and so have 
beaten him in detail. General Hull's proper course was, 
to have retreated to Ohio. True, he would have been 
censured as a pusillanimous wretch ; but he would 
have saved his army, and time, which unfolds dark 
things, would have retrieved his character. He had not 
sufficient courage to endure the ignominy attached to a 
retreat, nor the firmness to meet the enemy in the field 
under disadvantageous circumstances. He stood waver- 
ing and irresolute, till he lost the confidence of his sol- 
diers : while dangers were crowding around him, he lost 
the proper time for action, and thus fell a sacrifice to his 
irresolution. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

General McArthur returned to his residence on Fruit 
Hill, near Chillicothe. He was now a prisoner of war 
on parole, not to serve in the army against the enemy, 
till regularly exchanged. It did not comport with his 
ambitious, enterprising genius, to be an idle spectator in 
such stirring times, when the very existence of his 
country's civil institutions was at stake. Although the 
expedition under the command of General Hull had been 



GENERAL DUNCAN M* ARTHUR. 129 

most disastrous, none of the disgrace was attached to 
him. His courage, and active perseverance in every 
situation in which he had been placed during the expe- 
dition, increased his popularity with the army, with the 
administration, and with his fellow citizens generally. 

Although he could not serve in the army, he was eli- 
gible to serve his country in a civil capacity. In the fall 
of this year (L812), the democratic or war party brought 
him out a candidate for a seat in the House of Repre- 
sentatives of Congress ; and he was elected by an over- 
whelming majority. This was direct evidence, that al- 
though he was second in command on the unfortunate 
expedition with General Hull, none of the stigma of that 
disastrous affair was attached to him. 

The session of 1812-13, Congress passed a law to 
employ a large additional number of regular troops ; and 
although McArthur was still a prisoner of war, not being 
exchanged, the President of the United States nominated 
him Colonel to the twenty-sixth Regiment of United States 
Infantry, and the Senate confirmed the appointment. On 
the 20th day of February, 1813, his commission was 
dated, and immediately forwarded to him. He accepted 
the appointment. He was authorised by the President 
of the United States, to appoint the company officers of 
his regiment. The platoon officers were soon appointed ; 
and immediately engaged with enthusiasm in the enlist- 
ment of soldiers for the war. He was now active in 
stimulating the military feelings of the citizens of the 
country. By his energy and perseverance, the recruiting 
business went forward as well as could be expected, and 
the ranks of his regiment were fast filling. 

Although the regimental officers were appointed and 
commissioned, for the large addition made to the regular 
army of the United States, no general officers were yet 
appointed. On the 23d day of March, 1813, the Presi- 
dent of the United States, by and with the advice and 



130 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

consent of the Senate, appointed and commissioned him 
a brigadier-general in the regular army. His prospects 
were now nattering. As a politician, he was the most 
popular man in the Scioto valley. Military promotions 
were crowding upon him ; and if ambition could be sat- 
isfied, it would be supposed that McArthur, in his rapid 
rise to distinction, would now be happy. This was not 
the case. All the honors conferred upon him, he con- 
ceived only foretastes of what was laid up in store for 
him. When he read history, he discovered that many 
others, before they arrived at his age, had climbed much 
higher on the ladder of fame ; and he could not rest sat- 
isfied with a character which only placed him in medio- 
crity. When Bonaparte had conquered half the world, 
and was acknowledged dictator to half Europe, he was 
as far from being satisfied as when he was an humble 
lieutenant of artillery. So true is it, that "man never is, 
but always to be, blest." 

In April, 1813, General McArthur was officially in- 
formed by the war department, that the prisoners cap- 
tured at the surrender of Detroit by General Hull, were 
exchanged. He was again free to act in the army. He 
then resigned his seat in the House of Representatives 
of the Congress of the United States ; preferring the 
honors and dangers, and thrilling excitements of the 
" tented field," to the dull round of tautology in civil 
life. General Harrison then commanded the north- 
western army ; and to his head-quarters McArthur re- 
paired, with as much glee as ever young man or maiden 
went to a splendid ball, to riot in the pleasures of the 
lively dance. 

The fall of Detroit into the enemy's possession, af- 
forded them the means of controlling the movements of 
the north-western Indians. This advantage, together 
with the hitherto uncontrolled navigation of lake Erie, 
afforded the enemy an easy and speedy means of concen- 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 131 

»rating their whole force at any point, where they might 
think proper to invade our frontier. General Harrison 
had now a critical and responsible duty to perform. The 
enemy having the command of the lakes, could move 
from place to place without risk or danger; and if any 
of our advanced posts were weakly guarded, they could 
attack them, and fly to their shipping before their auda- 
city could be punished. In this predatory warfare, the 
enemy kept our frontier settlements, from Cleveland to 
fort Meigs on the Maumee bay, in continual alarm ; as it 
was impossible for General Harrison to keep a strong 
force at every exposed post. 

About the time the enemy were preparing to make the 
attack on fort Stevenson, at Lower Sandusky, where the' 
brave Major Croghan commanded, General McArthur 
was at Chillicothe, arranging some money matters for the 
supply of the army. General Harrison sent an express 
to General McArthur, with orders to hurry on to the 
scene of action, and bring with him all the militia he 
could ; as the enemy, both white and red, were collecting 
in force, and were hovering on the coast of lake Erie, 
and were preparing to strike a fatal blow at some of the 
exposed posts. McArthur had not resigned his office of 
major-general of Ohio militia; and as time would be lost 
in making a regular draft on the militia, he ordered the 
second division of militia to march in mass. This 
march of the militia was' named the " general call." As 
soon as Governor Meigs was advised of the call made by 
General McArthur, he went forward and assumed in per- 
son the command of the militia now under arms. Gen- 
eral McArthur went forward to the scene of action, and 
the militia followed in thousands. So promptly were his 
orders obeyed, that in a few days the Sandusky plains 
were covered with nearly eight thousand men, mostly 
from the Scioto valley. This rush of militia to defend 
the exposed frontier of our country, bore honorable 
10 



132 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

testimony that the patriotism of the citizens of the Scioto 
valley did not consist of noisy professions, but of prac- 
tical service in defense of their country. This general 
turn-out of the militia, proves that General Massie, and 
the few pioneers who followed him into the wilderness, 
and assisted him in making the first settlements in the 
fertile valley of the Scioto river, had infused their own 
daring and enterprising spirit into the mass of the com- 
munity. Among these eight thousand militia, were found 
in the ranks, as private soldiers, judges, merchants, law- 
yers, preachers, doctors, mechanics, farmers, and labor- 
ers of every description ; all anxious to repulse the ruth- 
less invaders of our soil. Indeed, the Scioto country was 
so stripped of its male population on this occasion, that 
the women, in their absence, were compelled to carry 
their grain to mill, or let their children suffer for want. 
The wife of the author of this narrative went to mill sev- 
eral times, sitting on her bag of wheat, during his ab- 
sence ; and he trusts she would do it again, if the same 
exigency should take place. 

At the time this host of militia arrived in the Sandusky 
plains, General Harrison's head-quarters was at fort 
Seneca, nine miles from fort Stevenson. The brave Ma- 
jor Croghan, of Kentucky, was entrusted with the com- 
mand of the latter fort, when the British general, with 
his mongrel host, made a violent attack on the place. 
The enemy were resisted by some of the best game blood 
of the western pioneers ; and although the enemy made 
repeated and most desperate assaults on the place, they 
were repulsed at every onset, with considerable loss in 
killed, wounded, and many prisoners. The enemy, after 
receiving this severe drubbing, hauled off to their den in 
fort Maiden. 

About the same time, Governor Meigs arrived at 
Upper Sandusky with his thousands, and formed what 
was called the " grand camp of Ohio militia." During 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itf' ARTHUR. 133 

the time of these transactions, Commodore Perry, and 
his artificers and crews, were using every effort to pre- 
pare a fleet of ships, to contend with the enemy for the 
mastery on the lakes. The Kentucky volunteers, con- 
sisting of four thousand men, under the command of the 
venerated Governor Shelby, were shortly expected on the 
coast of lake Erie. General McArthur was detailed to 
assume the command and defense of fort Meigs. Gen- 
eral Harrison directed Governor Meigs, to discharge all 
his men but two thousand. Commodore Perry at length 
was on the lake with his ships and crews, seeking the 
enemy's fleet. Governor Shelby was on his march with 
his four thousand volunteers, all was bustle and prepar- 
ation for the invasion of Canada. These were stirring 
times : Kentucky and Ohio's best blood was in motion. 
General Harrison had now more force under his control, 
than was deemed necessary to accomplish the object of 
the expedition. Governor Meigs was directed to dis- 
charge the remaining two thousand Ohio troops under his 
command. This order gave great offence to the officers 
of Ohio militia, as they were anxious to be employed on 
the expedition against Canada. On the morning of the 
day on which they were discharged, the officers held a 
grand caucus, in which they passed some resolutions, 
disapprobating the conduct of General Harrison. They 
were now in ill humor, and remembered that they had 
suffered numerous grievances at his hands. General 
Harrison had given orders to the commissaries of provi- 
sion, first to issue such flour as was "in a damageable 
state." This order was construed to mean, that General 
Harrison had ordered the Ohio troops to be fed on dam- 
aged flour. The true cause of this ill humor among the 
Ohio officers, was chagrin on account of being disap- 
pointed, in not being employed on the meditated expedi- 
tion against Upper Canada. They were wrathy that the 
Kentuckians were to have the honor of breaking up the 



134 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Maiden hornet's nest. They blamed General Harrison 
for partiality in favor of the land that breeds " half horse, 
half alligator, tipped off with the snapping turtle." 

Commodore Perry, with his fleet, touched at the San- 
dusky bay ; General Harrison lent him all the aid in his 
power ; and furnished him with as many men, to man 
his ships, as could find room for action. It was now 
evident, that could we force the command of the lakes, a 
host would rush upon the Canada shore, that would be 
irresistible. On the 10th of September, Commodore 
Perry met the British fleet : a desperate conflict ensued, 
but victory crowned " the star-spangled banner." The 
enemy's fleet were defeated, and all captured. " This 
victory removed the principal barrier to the conquest of 
Maiden, and the recovery of the Michigan territory, and 
was the signal for active offensive operations," to recover 
what had been lost under General Hull. 

Commodore Perry's splendid victory gave a fresh 
impetus to the army. " Immediately all was bustle and 
preparation. The General began to concentrate his 
forces at the mouth of the Portage river. Gov. Shelby 
was on his march to join him with 4000 volunteers from 
Kentucky. General McArthur had arrived at Fort 
Meigs. Gen. Cass had also reached Upper Sandusky. 
Col. Hill with a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers 
was advancing from Erie. In short about 7000 men 
were in motion for the long-delayed invasion of Canada. 
The greatest activity was visible in camp. Boats were 
collected ; beef jerked ; bread baked, and the superfluous 
baggage secured in block houses. 

" On the 17th September, Gov. Shelby at the head of 
4000 volunteers from Kentucky arrived at the mouth of 
Portage. This formidable corps were all mounted ; 
but it was deemed best for them to act as infantry. In 
order to secure their horses against escape, it was only 
necessary to build a substantial log fence from Sandusky 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itf' ARTHUR. 135 

bay to Portage river, about two miles distant from each 
other ; this done, the horses were provided with a lux- 
uriant natural pasture of nearly 100,000 acres. The 
number of horses left on the peninsula, during the ab- 
sence of the army in Canada, was upwards of 5000, for 
the most part, of the first size and condition ! 

" On the 20th, Gen. McArthur's brigade, from Fort 
Meigs, joined the main body at Portage, after a fatiguing 
march of three days down the lake coast, and through a 
part of the immense prairie that skirts the southern shore 
of Lake Erie from Portage river to within a few miles 
of Brownstown. In this toilsome march, the guides of- 
ten lost the point of direction as they were struggling 
with the thick and lofty grass that impeded their pro- 
gress. Frequently it became necessary, to hoist a sol- 
dier until his feet rested upon the shoulders of another, 
before he could get a view above the top of the grass to 
ascertain their course. 

" Col. Johnson's regiment remained at Fort Meigs, 
but had orders to approach Detroit by land. Such of 
Col. Hill's Pennsylvania detached militia as chose not 
to cross into Canada, were ordered to guard the British 
prisoners, taken by Com. Perry, to Chillicothe. The 
different posts on the American side of the lake were 
left in charge of the Ohio militia. Fort Meigs was re- 
duced in its picketing from eight acres to one. About 
five hundred Kentucky volunteers remained on the pen- 
insula to guard the horses and stores. 

" Every thing being now ready, the embarkation of 
the troops commenced at the dawn of day, on the 21st. 
For the want of a sufficient number of boats not more 
than one third of the army could embark at once. There 
is a range of islands extending from the head of the pen- 
insula, to Maiden. These islands render the navigation 
safe, and afforded the army convenient depots for bag- 
gage and stores, as well as halting places. Put-in-bay 



136 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

island, sixteen miles from Portage, was selected by the 
general as the first point of rendezvous ; the first stage 
in his passage across the lake. The weather was favor- 
able. As soon the first division of boats reached the 
island, men were immediately detached to take back the 
boats for a fresh load. Such was the eagerness of the 
men to accelerate the embarkation of the whole army, 
that they, in most cases, anticipated this regulation by 
volunteering their services to return with the boats. 
Every one courted fatigue. The fleet of Commodore 
Perry was busily engaged in transporting the baggage of 
the army. 

" In the course of the 22d, the whole army had gained 
the island, and encamped on the margin of the bay, 
which forms nearly a semicircle. The Lawrence and 
the six prize ships, captured from the enemy, were at 
anchor in the center of the bay, and in full view. With 
what delight did the troops contemplate this interesting 
spectacle ! The curiosity of the troops was amply in- 
dulged ; every one was permitted to go on board the 
prizes to view the effect of the battle. The men were 
highly pleased with this indulgence of the General and 
the Commodore. The scene was calculated to inflame 
their military ardor which was visible in every coun- 
tenance. 

" The army was detained in Put-in-bay during the 23d 
and 24th by unfavorable winds. On the 24th, a soldier 
of the regular forces was shot for desertion. He had de- 
serted three times r had been twice before condemned to 
suffer death, and as often pardoned ; he met his fate 
with stoical indifference, but it made a very sensible im- 
pression on the troops. Two platoons fired on him at 
the distance of five paces, and perforated his body like a 
sieve. 

" On the 25th, the army again embarked partly in 
boats and partly on board the fleet, to take a nearer 



GENERAL DUNCAN M'ARTHUR. 137 

position to the Canadian shore. The flotilla arrived a 
little before sunset, at a small island called the Eastern 
Sister, eighteen miles from Maiden and seven from the 
coast. This island does not contain more than three 
acres, and the men had scarcely room to sit down. 

" On the 26th, the wind blew fresh, it became necessary 
to haul up the boats, to prevent their staving. The 
General and Commodore in the Ariel, made a reconnois- 
sance of the enemy's coast and approached within a 
short distance of Maiden. Capt. Johnney* was dispatch- 
ed to apprise Col. Johnson of our progress. Gen. Cass, 
Col. Ball, and Capt. McClelland were busy in arranging 
and numbering the boats. At sunset the lake had risen 
several feet ; indeed, such was the violence of the surf 
that many entertained serious fears that the greater part 
of the island would be inundated before morning. How- 
ever, the wind subsided at twelve and relieved our ap- 
prehensions. . 

" On the 27th, at nine in the morning, the army made 
its final embarkation. The day was fine, and a propi- 
tious breeze made our passage a pleasing pastime. It 
was a sublime and delightful spectacle to behold sixteen 
ships of war and one hundred boats filled with men, 
borne rapidly and majestically to the long-sought shores 
of the enemy. The recollection of this day can never be 
effaced from my memory. There was something truly 
grand and animating in the looks of the men. There was 
an air of confidence in every countenance. The troops 
panted for an opportunity to rival their naval brethren in 
feats of courage and skill, they seemed to envy the good 
fortune of our brave tars. They were ignorant of the flight 
of the enemy, and confidently expected a fight ; indeed 
the belief was current among the troops that the enemy 



* A large Shawnee Indian chief; the same that defeated the Edg- 
ingtons. See Massie's Life, page 40. 



138 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

were in great force ; for it was believed that Dixon's In- 
dians as well as Tecumseh's were at Maiden. 

" We landed in perfect order of battle, at 4 P. M., 
three miles below Maiden. The Kentucky volunteers 
formed the right wing. Ball's legion and the friendly- 
Indians the center ; the regulars on the left. The troops 
were almost instantly in line and shortly commenced 
their march, en echellons for Maiden. The troops had 
been drilled to marching in and out of the boats and to 
forming on the beach. Every man knew his place ; and 
so well were they masters of this very necessary piece 
of service, that a company would march into a boat, de- 
bark and form on the beach in less than one minute, and 
that too without the least confusion. 

"As we approached Maiden, instead of the red coats 
and war whoop of the Indians, a group of well-dressed 
ladies advanced to meet us, and to implore mercy and 
protection. They were met by Governor Shelby and 
Col. Ball who soon quieted their fears by assuring them 
that we came not to make war upon women and children 
but to protect them. The army entered Maiden by 
several parallel streets, and we marched through the 
town to the thunder of " Yankee Boodle. 11 The ruins 
of the fort and the naval buildings were still smoking. 
All the loyal inhabitants followed the British army in its 
retreat. The fort is surrounded by a deep ditch and two 
rows of heavy pickets. What cannon and small arms 
they were unable to carry away were sunk in the river. 
The enemy in their haste had left an eighteen pounder 
in this battery. Three miles above the fort is an Indian 
village which we found deserted, and so suddenly, that 
many essential articles of Indian furniture, such as brass 
kettles, were left in the houses. Here we procured a 
plentiful supply of green corn, potatoes, &c. This vil- 
lage was not burnt. 

" In thxi evening after our arrival at Maiden, Col. Ball 



139 

dispatched an officer and twenty men to prevent the 
enemy's destroying the bridge across the Aux Canards. 
The enemy were found on the bridge, having just set 
fire to it. Our party fired on them ; they dispersed and 
the bridge was saved. 

" On the 28th we passed the Aux Canards, and en- 
camped two miles beyond the river in a neat French 
settlement. A small party of British horse showed 
themselves at the bridge and then scampered off. 

" The next day we reached Sandwich at two o'clock 
in the afternoon.* At the same time the fleet came up 
the river to Detroit. The General made dispositions 
for passing the river. Governor Shelby's corps remain- 
ed at Sandwich, while Ball's legion and the brigade of 
Gen. McArthur passed over to Detroit. The Indians ap- 
peared in groups, on the bank of the river below Detroit ; 
a few shots from the gun boats caused them to disperse. 
The Indians did not leave Detroit till the boats con- 
taining the troops were half way across the river. Just 
before we landed on the American side the inhabitants 
hoisted the United States' flag amid the acclamations 
of thousands. The army were received by the inhabi- 
tants with demonstrations of unfeigned joy. They had 
suffered all that civilized and savage tyranny could in- 
flict save death. The Indians had lived at free quarters 
for several months. It was therefore natural for them to 
hail us as deliverers. The enemy had set fire to the 

* Two miles below Sandwich, one of Governor Shelby's volun- 
teers in the flank guard discovered an Indian at the distance of two 
hundred yards, in the act of leveling his rifle at our men ; he instant- 
ly left the ranks, made for the Indian and received his fire ; the 
Indian retreated, but was closely pursued by the volunteer, who soon 
gained on his foe ; he fired and brought him to the ground ; but the 
Indian had previously reloaded his piece, and in his turn fired on the 
volunteer, who received the contents in his leg ; he was at this time 
half a mile from his comrades, but did not retreat till he had dis- 
patched the wounded Indian, and secured his scalp, which he bore in 
triumph to his company. 



140 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

buildings within the fort, but the walls and picketing re- 
mained entire. The public store, a long brick building 
near the wharf was injured only in the roof, which our 
men soon repaired. In the course of the night there was 
an alarm in camp, the fires were extinguished, and the 
men ordered to lie on their arms. 

" On the 30th Col. Johnson's regiment arrived from 
Fort Meigs : they immediately commenced the passage of 
the river in boats ;* Gen. McArthur with the greater part 
of the regular troops was charged with the defence of 
Detroit. It was the general opinion of the inhabitants 
that there were a thousand Indian warriors, under Mar- 
pot and Split Log, lurking in the woods between the 
river Rouge and Huron of lake St. Clair. The friendly 
Indians took several prisoners in the immediate vicinity 
of Detroit, in less than two hours after we landed. 



CHAPTER IX. 



" On the 2d of October every arrangement was com- 
pleted for pursuing the retreating British army up the 
Thames. The force selected for this service were the 
mounted regiment of Col. Johnson, three companies of 
Col. Ball's legion and the principal part of Gov. Shelby's 
volunteers. 

" From Sandwich to the Moravian towns is eighty- 

* The entrance of the mounted regiment into Detroit presented a 
fine military spectacle. At 2 P. M. the advance of the column began 
to emerge from Belle Fontaine, and were visible at the distance of 
two miles from the town. The width and shortness of the road gave 
the military and citizens a full view of its approach. Both sides of 
the street for a considerable distance were lined with spectators. Sud- 
denly our ears caught the thunder of 1100 horse in full motion. The 
whole regiment was rapidly approaching ; and in a moment it was 
in the midst of us upon full speed and in admirable order. 



141 

four miles. We found the roads for the most part good. 
The country is perfectly level. The advance of the 
troops was rapid ; so much so, that we reached the river 
Riscum, twenty-five miles from Sandwich, in the even- 
ing. The enemy had neglected to destroy the bridge. 
Early in the morning of the 3d, the General proceeded 
with Johnson's regiment, to prevent the destruction of 
the bridges over the different streams that fall into Lake 
St. Clair and the Thames. These streams are deep and 
muddy and are unfordable for a considerable distance in- 
to the country. A lieutenant of dragoons and thirteen pri- 
vates, who had been sent back by General Proctor to 
destroy the bridges, were made prisoners near the mouth 
of the Thames : from whom the General learned that 
the enemy had no certain information of our advance. 

" The baggage of the army was brought from Detroit 
in boats, protected by a part of Commodore Perry's 
squadron. In the evening the army arrived at Drake's 
farm, eight miles from the mouth of the Thames and en- 
camped. This river is a fine deep stream, navigable 
for vessels of considerable burden, after the passage of 
the bar at its mouth, over which there is generally seven 
feet water. The gun boats could ascend as far as Dal- 
son's, below which the country is one continued prairie, 
and at once favorable for cavalry movements and for the 
co-operation of the gun boats. Above Dalson's the as- 
pect of the country changes ; the river, though still deep, 
is not more than seventy yards wide, and its banks high 
and woody. 

" At Chatham, four miles from Dalson's and sixteen 
from Lake St. Clair, is a small deep creek, where we 
found the bridge taken up and the enemy disposed to 
dispute our passage, and upon the arrival of the advanc- 
ed guard, commenced a heavy fire from the opposite 
bank as well as a flank fire from the right bank of the 
river. The army halted and formed in order of battle. 



142 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

The bridge was repaired under the cover of a fire from 
two six pounders. The Indians did not relish the fire 
of our cannon, and retired. Colonel Johnson being on 
the right, had seized the remains of a bridge at Mc- 
Gregor's mills, under a heavy fire from the Indians. He 
lost on this occasion, two killed and four wounded. The 
enemy set fire to a house near the bridge, containing a 
considerable quantity of muskets ; the flames were extin- 
guished and the arms saved. At the first farm above the 
bridge, we found one of the enemy's vessels on fire, 
loaded with arms and ordnance stores. Four miles higher 
up, the army took a position for the night ; here we 
found two other vessels and a large distillery filled with 
ordnance and other stores to an immense amount, in 
flames. Two twenty-four pounders, with their carriages, 
were taken, and a large quantity of ball and shells of 
various sizes. 

" The army was put in motion early on the morning 
of the 5th. The general accompanied Colonel Johnson ; 
Governor Shelby followed with the infantry. This 
morning were captured two gun-boats and several bateaux, 
loaded with provisions and ammunition. At nine we had 
reached Arnold's mills, where there is a fording place, 
and the only one for a considerable distance. Here the 
army crossed to the right bank ; the mounted regiment 
fording, and the infantry in the captured boats. The 
passage, though retarded for want of a sufficient number 
of boats, was completed by twelve. 

" Eight miles above the ford, we passed the ground 
where the British force had encamped the night before. 
The general directed the advance of Colonel Johnson's 
regiment to accelerate their march, for the purpose of 
ascertaining the distance of the enemy. The officer 
commanding it, shortly after sent word back, that his 
progress was stopped by the enemy, who were formed 
across his line of march. One of the enemy's wagon- 




Tecumseh. 



GENERAL DUNCAN M ARTHUR. 143 

ers was taken prisoner, from whom the general obtained 
much useful information. 

BATTLE OF THE THAMES. 

" The army was now within three miles of the Mora- 
vian town, and within one of the enemy. The road passes 
through an open beach and maple forest, generally within 
a few rods of the river. The enemy had made choice 
of a judicious position, two miles below the Moravian 
village. Two narrow but deep morasses run parallel 
with the river for a considerable extent. The first, at the 
distance of three hundred yards ; the second, about a 
quarter of a mile. The British, interspersed with a few 
Indians, occupied the ground, in two lines forty paces 
apart, from the river to the first swamp. Six brass and 
two iron carriage guns were planted in different parts of 
this short line. The Indian line of battle commenced at 
the first swamp, and ran to the second, extending down 
its margin about a quarter of a mile, forming an imper- 
fect hollow square. The Indian force disposed in this 
order, amounted to from twelve to fifteen hundred war- 
riors, under the command of Tesumseh, Walk-in-the- 
Water, and other daring chiefs. The British regulars and 
Indians in the first line, amounted to about seven hun- 
dred. Such was the position, the order of battle, and 
the numbers of the enemy. A deep river on the left, an 
almost impenetrable swamp on the right. 

" The troops at the disposal of General Harrison 
might amount to three thousand men ; yet from the nat- 
ural strength of the enemy's position, and the peculiar 
nature of the ground, not the half of this force could dis- 
play to advantage. To turn the enemy in flank was im- 
practicable. There was therefore no alternative, but to 
attack in front, and that without cannon. To advance to 
the combat on foot in regular order, was to render a se- 
rious loss of lives certain, and success doubtful. The 
11 



144 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

decisive mind of Harrison did not permit him to hesitate. 
A plan of attack, at once bold and original, was instantly 
conceived ; which was to overwhelm the enemy with 
consternation, and paralize his energies, by an unex- 
pected and irresistible shock. 

" For this purpose the mounted regiment, which from 
the active nature of the service it had previously per- 
formed, might be termed the veterans of the army, was 
drawn up in close column in advance, with orders to 
charge and break through the British line. Colonel 
Johnson had, however, a discretion either to attack the 
British with his whole force, or with one battalion, re- 
serving the other for the attack of the Indian line. 

" The Kentucky volunteers, under Major General 
Henry, formed close in the rear of Johnson's regiment, 
in three lines extending from the river to the first swamp. 
General Desha's division covered the rear of the left bat- 
talion of Johnson's regiment. In the rear of Henry's 
division, Colonel Simral was placed with a reserve of five 
hundred Kentucky volunteers. Governor Shelby was at 
the crotchet formed by the intersection of Generals 
Henry and Desha's divisions. General Cass and Com- 
modore Perry volunteered as aids to General Harrison, 
who placed himself at the head of the front line of in- 
fantry, to direct the movements of the mounted men and 
to give them the necessary support. Such was the gen- 
eral order of battle. Now for the disposition of the 
mounted regiment. 

" Colonel Johnson perceiving that there was not suf- 
ficient room for his whole regiment, increased by fresh 
volunteers to eleven hundred men, to act advantageously 
against the British line only, determined to make a sim- 
ultaneous charge upon the red and white enemy. Ac- 
cordingly, he divided the regiment equally; gave the 
command of the first battalion, and the honor of charging 
the British line, to his brother, Lieutenant Colonel James 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 145 

Johnson ; leading the other battalion in person against 
the Indians. The advance guard of the regiment, con- 
sisting of a hundred and fifty men, under Major Suggett, 
were dismounted and placed in a line parallel with the 
enemy, in front of the first battalion. This line had the 
double advantage of distracting the attention of the enemy, 
and of keeping up a fire and maintaining the ground if 
the horses should recoil at the British fire (which was 
the case). The line was weak, but was supported by- 
four charging columns of double files, with intervals of 
not more than sixty paces. 

" Colonel Johnson also dismounted a hundred and 
twenty men under Captain Strieker, and extended them 
from the first to the second swamp, parallel with the In- 
dian line and in front of the second battalion, which he 
formed in two charging columns, with an interval of four 
hundred yards ; Colonel Johnson led the right column 
in person ; Major Thomson the left. 

"The dispositions for the attack were completed. 
The American army nad arrived within a short distance 
of the enemy. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon ; 
both armies were ready for the work of death. An aw- 
ful silence succeeds. Soon, however, it is broken by the 
sound of the regimental trumpet, the signal for the com- 
mencement of the action. 

" In an instant eleven hundred horse are in motion, 
at full speed; a fire of tremendous sound, at least, 
from the British line, checked for a moment the progress 
of the first battalion ; but its gallant leader soon gives it 
an increased and irresistible momentum. The last fire 
of the enemy, although delivered at pistol-shot distance, 
had no other effect than to confirm the victory. The 
charging columns broke through the British ranks, 
wheeled and formed in their rear. Never was terror 
more strongly depicted on the countenances of men ; 
with their pieces unloaded, their bayonets unfixed, bro- 



146 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ken, huddled in confusion or trampled under the horses' 
feet, and surrounded beyond the possibility of escape, 
officers and men were seen throwing down their arms, 
and, with uplifted hands, exclaiming j quarter.' 

" So unexpected was the shock, that they were totally 
unprepared to meet it ; the whole was the work of a 
minute. Their artillery, which from its number and po- 
sition ought to have been an efficient defense, was per- 
fectly harmless to the assailants. There was something 
terrible in the sudden appearance of several hundred 
horsemen, clad in a motley garb, screaming like a band 
of furies, and approaching at full gallop through the 
woods ! Besides, an opinion prevailed among the Brit- 
ish troops, that the Kentuckians, vindictive of the mas- 
sacres of the rivers Raisin and Miami, were resolved on 
giving no quarter. It is, therefore, not surprising, that 
terror and despair paralized their exertions. Six hun- 
dred British regulars were the fruits of this charge. 

" On the left, between the two swamps, the contest 
was more serious. Colonel Johnson most gallantly led 
the head of his column into the hottest of the enemy's 
fire, and was personally opposed to Tecumseh. At this 
point a condensed mass of savages had collected. Yet, 
regardless of danger, he rushed into the midst of them ; 
and as he broke through their line, so thick were the In- 
dians, that several might have reached him with their ri- 
fles. He rode a white horse, and was known to be an 
officer of distinction. A shower of balls was discharged 
at him ; some took effect ; his horse, his saddle, his 
clothes, his person, were pierced with bullets. His men, 
as they advanced to his support, were successively killed, 
wounded, or dismounted. The combatants were now 
closed upon the whole line, and a desperate conflict en- 
sued. Many of the Indians disdained a shelter, and 
fought openly ; others lay concealed behind logs, trees, 
or bushes. More prudent than their white allies, they 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itt' ARTHUR. 147 

reserved their fire until our men were within ten or fif- 
teen yards of them. Colonel Johnson, after receiving 
four wounds, perceived the daring Tecumseh command- 
ing and attempting to rally his savage force, when he in- 
stantly put his horse towards him, and was shot by Te- 
cumseh in the hand as he approached him. Tecumseh 
advanced with a drawn weapon, a sword or tomahawk, 
at which instant the colonel, having reserved his fire, 
shot his ferocious antagonist dead at his feet, and that too 
at the moment he was almost fainting with the loss of 
blood, and the anguish of five wounds. Yet he after- 
wards rode his bleeding horse several rods to the rear 
of the line, where he was helped from his horse, which 
immediately died. 

" The death of Tecumseh was to the Indians an irrep- 
arable loss. They immediately gave way ; but continued 
obstinately to dispute the ground for a considerable dis- 
tance. Frequently the same tree would be occupied by 
the parties, but on opposite sides. The battle lasted about 
one hour and a half, not at one point, but from its com- 
mencement, where Tecumseh fell, to the extreme left, 
where the Indians attempted to flank Major Thomson's 
line, but were prevented by the timely reinforcement 
from the reserve under Colonel Simral, whose fire soon 
became too warm for the enemy. 

" Of the mounted regiment twenty-five were killed or 
mortally wounded. About fifty were besides wounded, 
most of them slightly. Of Governor Shelby's corps, 
two were killed and six or seven wounded. About fifty 
horses were killed or disabled. 

" Having considerable personal knowledge of the offi- 
cers and men composing the mounted regiment, the wri- 
ter cannot dismiss the subject without giving the reader 
some additional particulars of the character and services 
of this distinguished corps. It was raised in Kentucky 
in the spring of 1813. It was soon filled, although the 



148 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

busy season of the year was unfavorable for obtaining vol- 
unteers. It entered the service about eight hundred strong, 
but was increased to thirteen hundred from arrangements 
proper on such occasions. On the 5th of October, it 
amounted to a thousand men in round numbers ; a part 
having been before dismounted by order of General 
Harrison. 

" Its first service was an expedition to the banks of the 
St. Joseph of lake Michigan. This excursion covered 
the Ohio frontier, and prevented a large party of British 
Indians, collected at Chicago, from marching to besiege 
Fort Wayne. The inhabitants of the Ohio frontier felt 
perfectly secure when this regiment was protecting them. 
The greater part of the officers and privates were pious 
men, and when off duty, were often heard singing reli- 
gious airs, or engaged in serious and instructive discourse. 
Indeed it resembled in this respect a religious congrega- 
tion. Discipline and obedience was cheerfully observed. 
There was not an instance of desertion, and only two 
died of sickness till after the battle of the Moravian town. 
It is almost superfluous to speak of the courage of this 
corps, since it is now so well known. Yet there are 
some who deserve particular notice. 

" Let us first speak of the gallant dead. Col. William 
Whitley a man of seventy years of age, a soldier of the 
revolution, and possessing an ardent patriotism, had 
fought the Indians in twenty battles and skirmishes, with- 
out injury. Having a particular esteem for Col. Johnson, 
he volunteered as a private in Capt. Davidson's com- 
pany, although in easy circumstances. His love of 
country was an example to all around him, and would 
make common individuals ashamed at not being able to 
feel as he felt. When speaking of the war and his 
country's rights, he would say, " if I am killed the ene- 
my will only deprive me of a few days." Col. J. had 
selected from fifteen to twenty individuals to assist him 



149 

in breaking the Indian line. The command of this for- 
lorn hope was given to Col. Whitley. This select com- 
pany was placed immediately in the rear of Col. John- 
son and a few paces in advance of the charging column. 
A moment before the action commenced, Col. Johnson 
turned to Col. Whitley and observed : " Your presence 
animates me, it will insure victory to our brave Ken- 
tuckians." With an aspect of uncommon firmness he 
turned to his men and said, " Boys, we have been select- 
ed to second our Colonel in the charge, act well your 
part ; recollect the watch-word : victory or death.'' 1 He 
led on his Spartan band. The battle commenced ; he 
fell without a groan the first fire, but his example was 
not lost. 

" With the solitary exception of Samuel Theobalds, 
who alone remained on horseback with Col. Johnson, 
the whole of Col. Whitley's command were dismounted 
in ten minutes, by death or wounds, or horses shot un- 
der them ! Theobalds, by order of Col. Johnson, never 
discharged his piece, keeping it in reserve for a case of 
necessity, if it should occur. 

" Lieut. Logan was mortally wounded. He lived in 
honor and died gloriously, regretting his death only be- 
cause he left a wife and several children to mourn his 
fate. A young printer of the name of Mansfield, was 
also mortally wounded. Joel Johnson and others were 
anxious to put him in a place of security, as the battle 
still raged. But he would not consent to be removed, 
saying, " I shall die in a few minutes, return to the 
charge and gain the victory that I may die in peace." 

" The mounted regiment was greatly indebted for its 
extraordinary discipline to the indefatigable exertions of 
Lieut. Col. James Johnson, brother to the Colonel, who 
has always been remarkable for military discipline. He 
is about thirty-eight years of age : has been in several 
expeditions, even while a boy, against the Indians living 



150 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

on the Wabash, and has served in many civil situations 
in Kentucky, which has given him celebrity and standing. 
He was first a magistrate, then sheriff of Scott county, 
and afterwards senator in the legislature of Kentucky. 
He had two promising sons in the action ; the eldest 
named Edward a few months above fifteen, and William, 
fourteen years of age. Such was the ardor of these 
young Spartans, that the officers had frequently to re- 
strain their eagerness ; they were both mounted and of- 
ten among the first in pursuit. The youngest is now 
(1815) a cadet at West Point. 

" Major Duval Payne, of the 1st battalion, inspired 
confidence wherever he appeared. He is now about 
fifty years of age. In 1792, he distinguished himself in 
a personal renconter with an Indian in an expedition 
against them ; he succeefed in disarming his savage foe 
of his gun, tomahawk, ana scalping knife, after having 
thrown the Indian several times, who as often extricated 
himself by rising with his antagonist ! 

" Major Thompson commanded the charging column 
on the extreme left. He dismounted his command ; 
faced to the left and extended his line parallel with the 
second swamp, in order effectually to oppose the flank 
line of the Indians, previously formed. His line were 
instantly engaged and sustained their share of the action. 
He is apparently between thirty-five and forty years of 
age, Justice of the Peace, Colonel of a militia regiment, 
and Senator in the Kentucky Legislature ; sensible and 
mild, but daring and undismayed in the hour of peril. 

"Captain Jacob' Strieker, who commanded the dis- 
mounted line in front of the second battalion, was not in- 
ferior to Tecumseh in his fame among the old Indian 
fighting men of Kentucky ; a man remarkably taciturn 
and reserved, except in battle, when his character in- 
stantly changes. Always in front of his men his example 
was surprising, and his well-known voice was heard in 



GENERAL DUNCAN Jtf' ARTHUR. 151 

every direction. He is fifty years of age, and his at- 
tachment to Col. Johnson carried him into the field at a 
time when he had given up all expectation of adding to 
his well-earned fame. 

" Capt. James Davidson was wounded and fell from 
his horse, and in attempting to give command fainted with 
the loss of blood ; but this did not discompose his men ; 
his subaltern officers knew their duty ; and while their 
brave captain lay bleeding upon the ground, led their 
company furiously to the charge. 

" Capt. James Coleman and men did not less distin- 
guish themselves. After Col. Johnson was severely 
wounded, he ordered these companies to dismount and 
strengthen the line of battle, under Strieker ; animated by 
the voice of Capt. Coleman, the most determined courage 
was displayed. 

" Major Thomson's column was composed of Captains 
Rice and Comb's companies. Capt. Rice was without 
his superior in bravery or discretion. He was not less 
distinguished than Strieker for his early and gallant con- 
duct in numerous battles with the Indians. 

" Capt. Combs, a man of thirty -five, had fought under 
G eneral Wayne, as a private volunteer, and whose looks 
and remarkable large whiskers struck the spectator with 
strong impressions of his firmness and bravery. 

" Captains McCobe, Ellison, Matson, and Hamilton 
of the 1st battalion deserve great praise for their intre- 
pidity. They are all men of intelligence and reputation. 
Each "led a charging column through the British lines. 
Capt. Ellison received several rifle balls in his clothes 
and saddle. In breaking through the British ranks, a 
soldier of the 41st attempted to fix his bayonet. At one 
stroke of his sabre, Capt. E. severed his head and brought 
him to the ground : a second made a show of resistance 
and shared the same fate. Shortly afterwards the Capt. 
led his company against the Indians. It was then that 



152 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

his temerity had nearly cost him his life ; an Indian 
seized the bridle of his horse, and attempted a blow with 
the tomahawk ; but the sabre again prevented and the 
Indian lost his scalp. 

11 John Berry had his hand shot to pieces, but refused 
to retire ; he loaded his gun twice and fired, and the 
third time was prevented from the blood which filled the 
pan of his gun. 

" Major James Suggett who commanded the dismoun- 
ted line in front of the 1st battalion, and at other times 
the advanced guard, was a baptist preacher, about thirty- 
five years old, of stentorian lungs, considerable oratory, 
and remarkable for his personal courage from infancy. 
Associated with him were Captains Church, Berry, and 
Reding, men of distinguished valor and discretion, and 
whose men were equal to the most trying occasions. 

" The forlorn hope were truly a Spartan band. Samuel 
Theobalds and Joseph Taylor, the first a lawyer, were 
both young men of promise. Benjamin Chambers, a 
member of the Kentucky legislature, a young man self- 
taught and of a strong mind. Eli Short, assistant dep. 
Quarter-master, Garret Wall, Forage-master, Robert 
Payne, William Webb, all equally determined, formed a 
part of this little corps, and survived the terrible ordeal. 

" The greater part of Governor Shelby's corps had not 
an opportunity of participating in the action. This cir- 
cumstance was very much regretted by them. Those 
that met the enemy on the left flank distinguished them- 
selves. From Sandwich to the Moravian town the 
greater part marched on foot, and with ^i rapidity that 
was almost incredible. But their noble Governor was at 
their head. 

" The Indians fought bravely and sustained a serious 
loss. Sixty-five warriors were left dead on the battle 
ground. Their loss was a hundred and twenty-five kill- 
ed, besides wounded. Six Americans and twenty-two 



153 

Indians fell within twenty yards where Tecuraseh was 
killed, and the trails of blood almost covered the ground. 

" Among the trophies of this day were six brass field 
pieces, captured from the British at Bennington and 
Saratoga, surrendered at Detroit by Hull, and again re- 
covered. May cowardice never again be entrusted with 
their defence. About five thousand stands of arms were 
also taken between the mouth of the Thames and the 
Moravian town. 

" The day after the battle, a part of the army took pos- 
session of the Moravian town, which was deserted, but 
where was found most kinds of vegetables in abundance, 
which were very acceptable to men who had subsisted 
(several days on fresh beef without bread or salt. Exten- 
sive corn-fields afforded an excellent range for the horses. 
So panic-struck were the Indian women at the advance 
of the troops to the town, that some of them actually 
threw their young children into the Thames, to prevent 
their being massacred by the Americans !* The flight of 
the Indians from the town was so sudden, that their ket- 
tles were yet boiling over their fires. The town was 
destroyed by the troops previous to their leaving it. 
Among the reasons assigned to justify the measure, it 
was alleged that these Indians had been among the fore- 
most in massacring our men at the river Raisin, and that 
the town, if it were spared, would afford a convenient 
shelter for the British allies during the winter, and from 
which they could easily pass into the Michigan territory, 
to plunder and murder the inhabitants. 

" General Proctor abandoned his army at the very 
moment Johnson's bugle sounded the charge. An escort 
of forty dragoons and a few cowardly Indians accom- 

* I had this fact from an American gentleman, who was at Ox- 
ford, when Proctor and the Indians passed through there on their 
way to Burlington heights. The squaws were then bewailing the 
loss of their children. 



154 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

panied him. A few of Governor Shelby's men, who 
had procured horses, pursued him ; and at one time were 
within a hundred yards of him, but were too few in num- 
ber to attack his guard. His flight was rapid, for in 
twenty- four hours he was more than sixty miles from the 
scene of danger. His carriage, wife, sword, and papers, 
fell into the hands of his pursuers. The carriage of 
Colonel Elliot was also taken. 

" Three wagons loaded with specie escaped. A depot 
of three hundred barrels of flour was at Oxford. General 
Harrison having no orders to advance to Burlington 
heights by the way of Grand river, ordered the army to 
commence its march back to Detroit. 

" At the skirmish near the mouth of the Thames, an 
Indian squaw was mortally wounded : she was left to 
shift for herself. Her little girl, six years old, remained 
with her. On the return of the army from the Moravian 
town, they were found in the woods, at the distance of 
half a mile from where she was wounded : to appearance 
she had been dead three days. The girl was still living. 
When our men approached the spot, she instantly raised 
her hands, and distinctly articulated " dont!" She was 
taken to Detroit, where her fate and sprightliness excited 
universal interest. An officer of Governor Shelby's corps 
took her to Kentucky, with the humane and honorable 
intention of adopting her in his family, and of giving her 
an education. 

" While General Harrison was pursuing Proctor up 
the Thames, the Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottowatamies, 
Miamies, and Kikapoos, proposed to General McArthur, 
a suspension of hostilities, and agreed to " take hold of 
the same tomahawk with the Americans, and strike all 
who are, or may be enemies of the United States, 
whether British or Indians." They brought in their 
women and children, and offered them as hostages for 
their good behavior. 




Face 155. 



Walk-in-the-water. 



155 

" The army returned to Detroit. Captain Elliot, of 
the Niagara, volunteered his services to command a naval 
expedition against Michilimackinac and fort St. Joseph ; 
but the weather proving unfavorable for a number of days, 
the season became too far advanced to risk the squadron 
on lake Huron, till spring. 

" Lieutenant Le Breton arrived at Detroit on the 15th 
bearing a flag, and a letter from General Proctor to Gen- 
eral Harrison. This letter requested humane treatment 
to the prisoners, and a restoration of certain property and 
papers taken on the 5th. As the letter was addressed to 
the general, "at Moravian towns," he saw no reason for 
Le Breton's journey to Detroit, and ordered him to join 
General Proctor by the way of Buffalo and fort George. 

"After the return of the commander-in-chief to De- 
troit, Walk-in-the-water, who had been in the battle of 
the Thames, came in to implore peace. When he crossed 
from Sandwich, the white flag which he bore in his hand 
had attracted a great crowd to the wharf, all anxious to 
get a near view of the distinguished chief. I was struck 
with admiration at the firmness and apparent nonchalance 
with which he ascended the bank, and passed through 
the ranks of the Kentucky volunteers, whom he had so 
gallantly opposed in battle but a few days before. I 
never saw more real dignity of carriage, or a more stri- 
king firmness of countenance. Yet his situation was cal- 
culated to depress his spirits and produce humility. His 
town was in the power of the Americans ; the British 
were all taken; the Indians had just suffered a signal de- 
feat; almost all the other chiefs had submitted; he was 
without the means of living or resistance : still, his man- 
ner was that of a conqueror. 

" A few days after Proctor's defeat, the town was so 
full of famished savages, that the issue of rations to them 
did not keep pace with their hunger. I have seen the 
women and children searching the ground for bones and 



156 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

rinds of pork, which had been thrown away by the sol- 
diers ; meat, in a high state of putrefaction, which had 
been thrown into the river, was carefully picked up and 
devoured : the feet, heads, and entrails of the cattle 
slaughtered by the public butchers, were collected and 
sent off to the neighboring villages. I have counted 
twenty horses in a drove, fancifully decorated with the 
offals of the slaughter yard. 

" Governor Shelby's corps and the twelve month's 
volunteers, were all honorably discharged. Traveling be- 
came safe, and business at Detroit began to resume its 
wonted course, but the price current of the territory was 
exorbitant for every thing to eat, drink, or wear. 
Whisky sold at four dollars a gallon, beef at twenty- 
four cents a pound, cheese sixty cents a pound, butter 
seventy-five ; potatoes two dollars a bushel. The 
army was well supplied with rations, as were also about 
three hundred of the inhabitants of Michigan, and about 
two thousand Indians, men, women, and children, who 
had no other means of subsistence. Adventurers soon 
came on with a sufficient supply of dry goods. 

" On the 23d of October, General Harrison, with all 
his disposable regular troops, embarked on board the fleet, 
and sailed for Buffalo, in obedience to the orders from 
the secretary of war. Previous to his departure, he ap- 
pointed General Cass provisional governor of the Michi- 
gan territory ; the civil ordinances, as they stood at Hull's 
surrender, were proclaimed in force. General Cass was 
left with about one thousand men, not more than seven 
hundred of whom were effective. The men were indus- 
triously employed in preparing winter quarters at the 
fort. The Scorpion and Ohio schooners were engaged 
in transporting the supplies from Erie and Cleveland, for 
the troops during winter. Troops were stationed at 
Maiden and Sandwich. The campaign closed."* 
* Brown's History of the Late War. 1815. 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 157 



CHAPTER X. 

The winter 1813-14 was sedulously employed by 
Generals Harrison and McArthur, in providing ways and 
means to move an army of Ohio and Kentucky troops 
down lake Erie ; that when they should join our northern 
army, they would form such an overwhelming force as 
would be able to break down all the enemy's strong holds, 
from fort Maiden to Quebec. 

The number of volunteers and militia called into ser- 
vice by General Harrison, had created a debt of large 
amount. The then secretary of war complained loudly 
of the expensive manner in which the war was con- 
ducted by the north-western army. General Harrison 
admitted that he had employed considerable numbers of 
volunteers and militia; that numbers were requisite to 
render success certain ; that he had succeeded in every 
object the government expected; that by his success he 
had afforded peace ami security to more than one thou- 
sand miles of exposed frontier, on the lakes, on the 
rivers Wabash and Mississippi. The secretary of war 
determined not to be satisfied, kept up such a continual 
grumbling about the expenses of the war, that General 
Harrison felt sore at his continual complaining, and in 
disgust resigned the command of the army. 

General McArthur being the senior brigadier-general, 
the command of the north-western army devolved upon 
him ; and with that command his responsibility in- 
creased. As this was the first time he was placed in a 
situation to be in chief command, he must have been 
proud of his exalted stand among his fellow men. He 
was popular with the army and with the administration ; 
and was determined that no exertions on his part should 
12 



15S A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

be wanting to retain that popularity, which cost him so 
much labor and frequent risk of life to secure. As he 
was large, strong, and healthy, and inured to toil and 
privations from his youth, the inconvenience of hard 
living, and exposure to the elements, did not depress his 
spirits. He was found at every post where his presence 
was necessary, enforcing discipline in the army, and 
stimulating his fellow-citizens to engage in the war with 
spirit. 

General McArthur had, previous to the war, built an 
elegant stone mansion on his farm on Fruit hill. From 
his house is the most delightful prospect : the town of 
Chillicothe is as plain to the view as a map : from his 
door can be traced the serpentine windings of the Scioto 
river, by the range of white sycamore trees which over- 
hang the margin of the stream : farms, without number, 
present themselves to the eye, as far as vision can reach : 
the hills on each side of the Scioto river, rising to con- 
siderable heights, some gradually sloping off, whilst 
others shoot up in sugar-loaf peaks, whose summits at a 
distance appear to touch the blue sky : a more delightful 
prospect can scarcely be imagined. If an elevated situa- 
tion, with a variety of beautiful scenery, has any effect 
in inspiring the poet's muse with rapturous, melodious 
strains, here would be the spot for inspiration. Such 
was his place of retreat from the toils and cares of labor, 
or from the storms of war. " Riches take to themselves 
wings and fly away ;" all our care and prudence cannot 
guard and secure us against the vicissitudes of life. 
About ten o'clock of the morning of the 1 5th of April, 
1814, his splendid mansion was discovered to be on fire. 
The laborers on the farm were all out at work ; none 
were about the house but females. The fire first broke 
out in the upper story : the citizens of the town of Chil- 
licothe, only two miles distant, could distinctly see the 
fire and dense smoke, and with praiseworthy activity 



159 

hastened to the scene of action ; some on horseback, 
others in carriages, and many on foot. The progress of 
the fire was slow, owing to the circumstance of all the 
partition walls being of stone ; and the fire proceeded 
from room to room, by the burning and falling in of the 
roof. This afforded time to save all his papers, and all 
the furniture, except such as was in the upper rooms 
where the fire commenced. It was supposed that the 
fire was accidentally communicated. In one of the upper 
rooms, a chest had been laid in the fire-place, and a con- 
siderable quantity of cotton clothing had been piled on 
the chest. A heavy bunch of soot may have taken fire, 
and rolled down the flue of the chimney on the cotton 
clothing, and caused the conflagration. This pecuniary 
loss, though great, did not in the least check his exertions 
in the army. 

As the enemy had retired discomfited from the upper 
end of lake Erie, and the Indians were suing for peace, 
most of the regular troops under his command were or- 
dered by the secretary of war to be transferred to the 
army on the Niagara frontier. McArthur had a number 
of small forts to garrison along the frontier ; whilst he 
kept his main force at Detroit and Maiden, to overawe 
the Canadians, and the scattering Indians still in the 
British interest. The summer of 1814 was passing 
away, on the north-western frontier, without affording 
his enterprising genius an opportunity of striking a blow 
at the enemy. The dull monotony of going from post 
to post along our extended frontier, was not the kind of 
service which was agreeable to his active and energetic 
mind. He began to think of making an excursion through 
Upper Canada, to pass through the enemy's country, till 
he should join the army of General Brown, near the falls 
of Niagara. On the propriety of his intended expedition, 
he consulted his old commander, General Harrison, and 
likewise General Cass. They approved of his plan. 



160 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

The continual growling of the secretary of war, deterred 
him from employing such a force as he wished. He 
called on the governor of Kentucky for a few hundred 
mounted volunteers ; a call which was promptly complied 
with by the brave and generous Kentuckians ; to whom 
were joined a few mounted volunteers from Ohio; and 
the detachment set off on the expedition. The following 
is his own detailed report of his expedition through 
Upper Canada. 

" Head Quarters, 8th M. District, ~) 
Detroit, 18 Nov. 1814. 5 

* Sir : — I have the satisfaction to report to you the 
safe return of the mounted troops to this place on the 
17th inst. 

" In a former communication, I had the honor to in- 
form you, that the mounted volunteers were marched in 
this direction in consequence of the regular troops having 
been withdrawn, and the apprehensions that were enter- 
tained for the safety of this Territory, of which I was 
advised by his Excellency Governor Cass. 

" The militia detached from Kentucky and Ohio 
having arrived, they were assigned for the more imme- 
diate protection of this place ; it was then deemed ex- 
pedient from the ardor and species of the force, that the 
mounted volunteers should be actively employed in the 
territory of the enemy, with a view to destroy their re- 
sources, and ultimately paralize any efforts which might 
be made against this place during the winter. 

" The valuable mills at the head of Lake Ontario, and 
in the vicinity of Grand river furnished large supplies to 
the army in the peninsula, their destruction was desirable ; 
to that effect the mounted troops, consisting of six hun- 
dred volunteers, fifty U. States Rangers, and seventy In- 
dians were put in motion on the 22d of October to pur- 
sue the route along the western shore of Lake St. Clair, 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 161 

and pass into the enemy's territory near the mouth of 
that river. 

" The real object of the expedition was masked by the 
general impression, that it was destined against the In- 
dian towns at Saguia. To favor that idea, boats were 
prepared for the reception of artillery, to be conveyed 
through lake St. Clair, up that river into lake Huron, 
and to co-operate with the mounted troops in the attack. 
The boats were, however, employed in the transportation 
of the troops and horses across the river St. Clair and 
Bear creek, which empties into Beldoon river. This 
movement was absolutely necessary to secure that se- 
crecy to the expedition, which could alone render it suc- 
cessful. All military movements in this direction, are 
rapidly communicated to the enemy from Sandwich and 
this place : it was therefore deemed improper to pass the 
troops across this river, but to proceed over the river St. 
Clair, down to the Scotch settlement on the Beldoon, up 
Bear creek about thirty miles, and across to the Moravian 
towns, a few miles above the lower settlement on the 
Thames, where the detachment arrived on the 30th of 
October. 

" We were very fortunate at this place, in taking a ser- 
geant in the British service, who was proceeding to Burling- 
ton, with the information that the detachment had passed 
into the enemy's territory. The capture of this sergeant, at 
the commencement of the "long woods" between the 
Moravian towns and Delaware, enabled us to reach the 
latter place undiscovered. On our approach, the rangers 
were detached to move across the Thames below the 
settlement, pass in the rear of it, and guard the different 
roads leading into the interior, whilst the troops were en- 
gaged in swimming their horses, and transporting their 
baggage on rafts. 

" We were thus enabled to arrive at the town of Ox- 
ford, one hundred and fifty miles distant from Detroit, 



162 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

before the inhabitants knew that a force was approaching. 
They were promised protection to their persons and 
property, upon condition that they remained peaceably 
at their respective houses ; otherwise, they were assured 
that their property should be destroyed. However, not- 
withstanding this injunction, and the sacred obligations 
of a previous parole, two of the inhabitants escaped to 
Burford with the intelligence of our arrival. Their 
property, consisting of two dwelling houses, two barns, 
and one shop, were instantly consumed. 

11 On the succeeding day, the 5th instant, the detachment 
proceeded to Burford, where we were informed that the 
militia had been embodied about ten days previously to our 
arrival, in consequence of reports received from Sandwich, 
that our expedition was expected to move from Detroit 
against Burlington. A few hours before our arrival, the 
enemy retreated from Burford to Malcolm's mills, ten 
miles distant, on the road leading from Dover to Burling- 
ton, when they were joined by the militia from Long Point. 
It was my intention to cross Grand river as soon as pos- 
sible, without regarding the militia collected at Malcolm's 
mills, and attack Burlington. To my great mortification, 
on our arrival at the river, we found it high and rapid 
from the late excessive rains, and learned that General 
Brown had recrossed the Niagara, leaving only a strong 
garrison in fort Erie. No means were presented of even 
passing the river on rafts, and had it been effected, upon 
our return, the militia, contemptible as they were, might 
have been encouraged to attack when a rapid river divided 
us. Major Muir, with about fifty Indians and fifty mil- 
itia, was preparing to contest the passage : a battery was 
also erecting, as was understood, for three pieces of ar- 
tillery, distant twelve miles on the road from Burlington. 

" These considerations presented serious objections to 
any attempts to pass the river. It was also due to the 
past sufferings, and the future safety of the gallant de- 









GENERAL DUNCAN Itf' ARTHUR. 163 

tachment under my command, that a direction should be 
given to its movements, calculated to afford compensation 
for the former and secure the latter. It was therefore 
determined upon, to attack and defeat or disperse the 
militia at Malcolm's mills, move down the Long Point 
road through the Grand river settlement, destroy the val- 
uable mills in that quarter, and then return to our terri- 
tory, either by a movement across Grand river at the 
mouth to fort Erie, or along Talbott's street to the 
Thames. To that effect, a detachment was directed to 
remain and engage the attention of the enemy, whilst the 
principal force should be withdrawn and marched to Mal- 
colm's mills. We found the enemy consisting of four 
or five hundred militia and a few Indians, fortified on 
commanding ground, beyond a creek deep and difficult 
of passage, except at a bridge immediately in front of 
their works, which had been destroyed. Arrangements 
were made for a joint attack on the front and rear. The 
Ohio troops, with the advance guard and Indians, were 
accordingly thrown across the creek under cover of a 
thick wood, to approach the enemy in rear, whilst the 
Kentucky troops were to attack in front, as soon as the 
attention of the enemy was engaged by the attack in the 
rear. 

" The enemy would have been completely surprised 
and captured, had not an unfortunate yell by our Indians 
announced the approach of the detachment destined to 
attack their rear. They were, however, defeated and 
dispersed, with the loss in the skirmishes on that day, 
of one captain and seventeen privates killed, nine privates 
wounded, and three captains, five subalterns, and one 
hundred and three privates made prisoners ; whilst our 
loss was only one killed and six wounded. Early on 
the 7th instant the enemy was pursued on the road to 
Dover, many made prisoners, and five valuable mills de- 
stroyed. 



164 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

" Apprehensive that the troops could not be supplied 
on the route to fort Erie, and that difficulties would occur 
in the passage of Grand river, together with the uncer- 
tainty which existed as to the position of our army be- 
low, I was induced, on the 8th instant, to commence my 
return to this place, by the way of Talbott street and the 
Thames ; which was happily effected on the 17th instant. 

" In this excursion, the resources of the enemy have 
been essentially impaired, and the destruction of the val- 
uable mills in the vicinity of Grand river, employed in 
the support of the army in the peninsula, together with 
the consumption of the forage, and provisions necessary 
for the troops, has added to the barrier, heretofore inter- 
posed by an extensive and swampy frontier against any 
attempts which may be made this winter in the direction 
of Detroit. 

" With the exception of nine thousand rations, and 
eight hundred bushels of forage, the detachment subsisted 
entirely on the enemy. Of private property, no more 
was destroyed than was absolutely necessary for the sup- 
port of the troops, for which regular payments or receipts 
were given. It is, however, much to be regretted, that 
there were some partial abuses produced by the unfortu- 
nate example presented by the Indians, whose customs 
in war impel them to plunder after victory ; but for this 
blemish there was some excuse, in their correct and gal- 
lant conduct before and during the battle. It is also grat- 
ifying to know, that they were forgetful of the atrocious 
deeds committed by the Indians in the service of the 
enemy: neither the innocent or disarmed have been 
massacred or molested. 

" The honorable deportment of the chiefs Lewis 
Wolfe and Civil John, was truly animating to all the 
troops. 

" It was essential to the progress of the expedition, 
that the horses of individuals should be taken to supply 




Civil John, 



GENERAL DUNCAN M' ARTHUR. 165 

the place of those that were disabled and lost on the 
march : in all cases receipts were given. The Michigan 
militia were invited to accompany us on the expedition : 
not more than twenty accepted it. Of those, six deserted 
near Delaware, and the remainder were permitted to re- 
turn on the next day. Lieutenant Ruland, of Captain 
Audrain's company of rangers from Detroit, was distin- 
guished for zeal and intrepidity. 

" The patriotic volunteers under my command have 
just claims on the gratitude of their country, when it is 
recollected that they tendered their services with no 
other assurances than the approbation which always at- 
tends disinterested sacrifices ; that they have performed 
much severe service duly, at an inclement season, through 
an extensive and swampy district, frequently intersected 
with deep and rapid rivers ; that they have penetrated 
two hundred miles into the enemy's territory, destroyed 
two hundred stand of arms, together with five of their 
most valuable mills, paroled or dispersed the greater por- 
tion of the efficient militia of that part of Upper Canada 
west of Grand river ; and the whole detachment has re- 
turned in safety to this place, with the exception of one 
killed. 

" The ardor which the troops always evinced when 
they expected to meet the enemy, was not more con- 
spicuous or praiseworthy, than the cheerfulness with 
which they conformed to the rules of military propriety. 
The officers and privates of the detachment, with a very 
few exceptions, merited my warmest approbation. 

" I was much indebted to the zeal and intelligence dis- 
played on all occasions by Major Dudley, commanding 
the Kentucky battalion, and was ably assisted by the 
zeal and assiduity of Doctor Turner, of the seventeenth 
infantry. Captain Bradford, of the nineteenth infantry, 
my brigade-major, already distinguished at fort Meigs 
and Tehoopcaw, is entitled to my sincere thanks for his 



106 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

exertions under every difficulty, and I have the support 
of the troops in assuring you, sir, that to the military 
talents, activity, and intelligence of Major Todd, who 
acted as my adjutant-general, much of the fortunate 
progress and issue of the expedition is attributable ; and 
I cheerfully embrace this occasion to acknowledge the 
important services which he has at all times rendered me 
whilst in command of the district. His various merits 
justly entitle him to the notice of the government. 
" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 
" Your obedient servant, 

" DUNCAN McARTHUR, 

" Brig. Gen. U. S. Army Com. 

" To the Hon. James Monroe, Sec. of War." 

After returning from this successful expedition, the 
war languished in the north-west. The Indian tribes 
had mostly sued for peace ; but it was still necessary to 
garrison the exposed posts along our frontier. This was 
done by a few companies of militia. At Detroit, a few 
companies of. regular troops and a regiment of Ohio mil- 
itia, guarded that place. At fort Maiden, a regiment of 
Kentucky militia and a battalion of regular troops were 
stationed. 

During the winter 1814-15, McArthur, now com- 
mander of the eighth military district, was straining 
every nerve to prepare a large force, to be in readiness to 
take the field as early in the season as the state of the 
roads would permit the moving of armies. The govern- 
ment had, by fatal experience, discovered the impro- 
priety of sending small detachments (such as General 
Hull had commanded), to do the work which could only 
be effected by large armies. War is a trade which re- 
quires experience to learn it, as any other trade. " The 
greatest masters in the art of war may err : he that wars 
walks in a mist, through which the keenest eyes cannot 
always discern the right path." The plan in preparation 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itt' ARTHUR. 167 

by the war department, was that General McArthur 
should cross from Detroit into Canada, with an army of 
seven thousand men from Ohio and Kentucky, and 
sweep Upper Canada to York on lake Ontario; and 
there unite with the northern army, and proceed down 
the lake Ontario and the river St. Lawrence, and at one 
determined sweep break up all the enemy's strong holds 
to Quebec. While the generals of our armies were ma- 
turing ways and means, to carry these grand and splen- 
did military projects into execution, the news of a treaty 
of peace, happily for our country, reached our ears. The 
bustle, toils, and vexations, incident to preparing armies 
for the "tented field," were abandoned. The clangor 
of the horsemen's trumpet, the rolling of the drum, nor 
the shrill whistle of the fife, was scarcely heard in our 
land. The militia and volunteers were discharged, and 
returned to their homes ; and peace again blessed our 
land. Congress being in session, when the treaty of 
peace was brought from Europe, a law was passed di- 
recting the president of the United States to disband the 
army. 

Our country stood in need of repose, especially the 
north-western frontier. The inhabitants on the shores 
of lake Erie, on the river Eaisin, upon the river Detroit, 
and up lake St. Clair, and up the river Thames in Upper 
Canada, had suffered more than the pen can describe. 
This district of country was alternately occupied by the 
American and British armies. The suffering soldiers 
paid little respect to the right of property : provision, 
clothing, and shoes, were taken wherever they w«re 
found ; and in many instances, the dwellings of the in- 
habitants were torn down by the soldiers and used for 
fuel ; whilst the miserable inhabitants were left without 
subsistence, clothing, or even a roof, under which to 
shelter from the storm. General McArthur represented 
the sufferings of the citizens of this district of country to 



168 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the government of the United States. He stated that the 
sufferings and privations of these wretched inhabitants, 
were brought about by causes over which they had no 
control ; that humanity required of the government to 
extend to them relief. His representations had the de- 
sired effect: the president directed that half rations 
should be distributed to these suffering inhabitants. Had 
it not been for this relief, many of these unfortunate 
people must have perished of famine during the severe 
winter of 1814-15. In giving a relation of the sufferings 
of the inhabitants of Detroit, Sandwich, and Maiden, the 
author is not drawing upon his imagination for fanciful 
pictures of distress, nor trusting to hearsay : he was 
upon the spot, a witness to their sufferings ; he com- 
manded a regiment of Ohio troops, that was stationed in 
Detroit, when the grateful news of peace was sounded 
in our ears. 

The inhabitants of the city of Detroit, and the citizens 
of the town of Sandwich in Upper Canada, before the 
war took place, although under different governments, 
were as social, and as friendly in their daily intercourse 
with each other, as are the citizens of Cincinnati in 
Ohio, and Covington of Kentucky. The war had for a 
time estranged them from each other ; but as soon as 
peace was proclaimed, all antipathy created by the war 
was dissipated, as if by magic. The inhabitants were 
seen running in groups across the river Detroit on the 
ice, and in tears of joy embracing each other in the most 
affectionate manner. 

The sound of war, to warm spirits, has something 
captivating in its thrilling various freaks of fortune ; but 
let its frightful front come stalking to our homes, and 
then to witness the horrible sight of dwellings in flames, 
wives, and children, and feeble old age, fleeing to the 
woods and swamps, for concealment and protection from 
the destroying hand of their fellow man. Such scenes 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 169 

are the constant companions of war. May our country 
never engage in any other than defensive war ; and let 
all the people say, amen. 



CHAPTER XL 



In the course of the summer 1815, the regular army 
was disbanded, and General McArthur bade adieu to the 
" tented field," and returned to his family and home, to 
attend to the domestic affairs of private life. 

Previous to the war, he had deeply engaged in land 
speculations, as well as in locating land warrants, and in 
surveying. During the time he was employed in the 
army his speculations stood still ; others had taken the 
field, he now found himself in the rear of other land 
speculators ; he was now determined, by renewed vigor, 
to make up, by unceasing industry in that business, for 
the time he had lost in the war. 

Although immersed in business, he could not refrain 
from taking a part in the politics of the day. In the fall 
of the year 1815, he was again elected a member of the 
general assembly ; and was upon all occasions the leader 
of the party with whom he acted. 

He had now been acting on the public stage for a num- 
ber of years, in various responsible situations, and his 
talents and business habits were found upon all occasions 
equal to any draft which was made upon him. What 
confidence the then administrators of government had in 
his capacity and integrity, the following letter will 
explain. 

" Department of War, Uth Feb. 1816. 

" Sir — Information has been received, that the princi- 
pal chief of the Wyandotts of lake Erie, has lately died ; 
and that the whole nation is disposed to sell their present 
possessions, and remove into other regions. 



170 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

" It is an object of considerable importance to obtain 
the cession of their lands, if, as it has been represented, 
they will connect the settlements of Ohio with those of 
the Michigan territory. It is, at the same time, desirable 
to avoid all appearance of solicitude to make this, or any 
other purchase from the Indians in that quarter ; as such 
an impression could not fail to be injurious to the interests 
of the United States. 

" Before any attempt to negotiate for the cession of 
their lands, is made, it is proper that their disposition to 
sell, should be distinctly ascertained. If they are will- 
ing to sell, it is extremely desirable that the proposition 
for that purpose should come from them. 

"As it has been represented to this department, that 
the person who has been chosen in the room of the late 
chief, is personally attached to you, I have been induced 
to believe, that this service can be more effectually ren- 
dered by you than any person. I will thank you, there- 
fore, immediately after the receipt of this letter, to adopt 
the necessary measures to accomplish the views of the 
government. Information of the situation and extent of 
their possessions, the manner in which the cession would 
connect the settlements of Ohio with those of Michigan, 
will be of great importance in deciding the question of 
ultimate negotiation upon this subject. 

" If the limits of their possessions should be found to 
be indistinct, and require the intervention of other tribes 
in its adjustment, the presence of those tribes at the con- 
templated treaty, will be necessary. It is also desirable 
to ascertain where they intend to settle, as that fact may 
have some influence, not only upon the price, but the 
mode in which it shall be paid. Should the information 
which you shall obtain and communicate to this depart- 
ment, lead to a treaty for the cession of those lands, you 
will be appointed one of the commissioners. 

" For any expenses which you may incur in executing 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 171 

the requests contained in this letter, you are authorised 
to draw on this department. 

" I have the honor to be, 

" Your most obedient servant, 

« Wm. H. CRAWFORD. 
"Gen. Duxcax McArthur." 

In pursuance of the authority delegated in the fore- 
going letter, General McArthur took immediate measures 
to ascertain the views of the Indians on the subject. 
The belief was, that the Indians were disposed to make 
a cession of part of their land. Commissioners were 
appointed, he being one, to negotiate with the Indians. 
The treaty was held at a place called Springwell, three 
miles below the city of Detroit. The commissioners 
succeeded in .confirming former treaties, which were 
made with the Indians previous to the late war, and in a 
cession of some of their lands, but not to the extent the 
government wished. This treaty was approved by the 
president, and ratified by the senate of the United States. 

During the summer 1817, General McArthur, and 
Governor Cass of Michigan territory, were appointed 
commissioners to hold a treaty with the western Indians. 
Fort Meigs, at the lower end of the Maumee rapids, was 
appointed the place to hold the treaty. An immense 
number of Indians assembled, and a large scope of 
country was ceded by them. This treaty was concluded 
on the 29th of September, 1817. In order to induce 
some of the principal chiefs to accede to making large 
cessions of land, the commissioners had stipulated, that 
these chiefs should hold separate tracts in fee simple, and 
exclusive of the general reservations around their towns. 
When this treaty was laid before the senate of the 
United States for their ratification, the senate passed the 
following resolution. 

13 



172 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

" In senate of the United States, Feb. 5, 1818. 
" Resolved by the senate, that the further consideration 
of the treaty, concluded at the foot of the rapids of the 
Miami of Lake Erie, on the 29th day of September, 
1817, with the Wyandotts, Seneca, Shawnee, Delaware, 
Potowatimy, Ottaway, and Chippeway tribes of Indians, 
be postponed ; and that it be recommended to the Presi- 
dent of the United States, to proceed to further negotia- 
tion with the said tribes, or either of them, in order that 
the provisions, whereby it is stipulated that the United 
States shall receive from the said tribes a cession of cer- 
tain lands, and grant the same in fee simple to the said 
tribes, for the uses therein described ; and also the arti- 
cles and schedule of the said treaty, which provide for 
the division and grant of the said lands, by the chiefs of 
the said tribes, to individuals thereof, and so that the 
grantees may convey the same to any person whatever, 
be expunged from the said treaty ; and that such portion 
of the lands belonging to the said tribes, as shall not 
be ceded to the United States, be reserved to the said 
tribes, in like manner as has been practised in other and 
similar cases. 

" Attest, (Signed) CHARLES CUTTS, Sec" 

As the consequence of this resolution of the senate 
was to set aside the late treaty, the president of the Uni- 
ted States again appointed General McArthur and Gov- 
ernor Cass, commissioners to revise the former treaty 
with the Indians. The Indians were requested to con- 
vene at St. Mary's, early in the month of September. 
The Indians met the commissioners at the time and place 
appointed. A treaty was held, and further cession of 
their land was made, and concluded on the 17th of Sep- 
tember, 1818. This treaty and cession of land, was ap- 
proved by the president, and ratified by the senate of the 
United States. 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 173 

In the fall of the year 1817, General Mc Arthur was 
again elected a member of the general assembly in the 
house of representatives. The competitors for the speak- 
er's chair were General McArthur, and Mr. Charles 
Hammond, the present able editor of the Cincinnati 
Gazette. McArthur succeeded by a small majority. 
The political war against the bank of the United States, 
commenced this session of the assembly. Mr. Ham- 
mond, who is a man of energy and talents, was the leader 
of those who were opposed to the United States bank 
locating branches in the state, without first obtaining the 
consent of the state. McArthur defended the right of the 
bank to place branches wherever it should think proper ; 
as the bank had paid fifteen hundred thousand dollars as 
a bonus for that privilege. Mr. Hammond was much 
the best speaker, and assailed the bank and its supporters 
with every argument calculated to make proselytes to his 
cause : sarcasm, irony, and ridicule, were resorted to. 
General McArthur made no pretensions to a display of 
oratory, yet he was by no means a silent member. He 
spoke often, and with effect; his home-spun speeches 
thwarted the eloquence of Mr. Hammond. The bill for 
taxing the branches of the United States bank to death, 
was defeated this session of Assembly. 

The summer of 1818, party strife on the bank question 
was violent. Every man that was able to scribble a par- 
agraph for the newspapers, was engaged on one side or 
the other of this momentous question. McArthur used 
his pen and his tongue without avail. He was a candi- 
date for re-election, and was defeated. A considerable 
majority of the members elected this year, were opposed 
to the United States bank. Mr. Hammond was again 
elected a member of the assembly, and by his talents, 
and readiness in wielding his pen, together with his 
strong and confident manner of speaking, was able to 
dictate law to this assembly. A law was passed at this 



174 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

session of the legislature, taxing each branch of the United 
States' bank located in the state of Ohio, fifty thousand 
dollars. When the time arrived for collecting this tax, 
the branch banks refused to pay. Mr. Hammond had 
provided in the law for a case of this kind : the colletor 
was authorized, in case the bank refused to pay the tax, 
to employ armed force, and enter the banking house, and 
seize on the money ; and this was actually done. The 
collector, with an armed force, entered the branch bank 
in the town of Chillicothe, and took what money he 
thought proper. 

The bank brought suit in the United States' circuit 
court against all the state officers concerned in this forci- 
ble collection. 

Mr. Hammond, who is a distinguished lawyer, with 
other eminent counsel, were employed by the state of 
Ohio to defend this important cause. The district court 
decided the law of Ohio, levying the tax, unconstitu- 
tional, and, of course, null and void ; and made a decree, 
directing the state to refund to the bank the money thus 
forcibly taken. The cause was appealed to the supreme 
court of the United States. Mr. Hammond defended the 
suit, in all its stages. The supreme court decided this 
cause against the state of Ohio. Thus was settled this 
knotty and vexatious question, which for a time, threat- 
ened the peace of the Union. 

Although the bank question estranged the majority of 
the citizens of Ross county against General McArthur, 
for a time, yet the many important services he had ren- 
dered the country, could not be forgotten : he was again 
elected, in 1819, a member of the assembly, by his usual 
majority. 

In the summer of 1822, General Mc Arthur's friends 
placed him in nomination as a candidate for a seat in the 
house of representatives in congress. Some illiberal and 
ungenerous efforts were used to prejudice the public 



GENERAL DUNCAN m' ARTHUR. 175 

mind against him, on account of some deserters, whom 
he had permitted to be shot, in pursuance of the decision 
of a general court-martial during the late war. These 
deserters had been previously condemned by a court- 
martial, and pardoned by General Harrison, and again 
had deserted, were taken, and brought in to head quarters. 
General Harrison's disposition was such a mixture of 
sympathy, kindness, and humanity, that he was like my 
Uncle Toby — he would not hurt, even a fly, unless it 
was in self-defense : indeed, the facility with which par- 
dons were procured from him, had a pernicious effect on 
such soldiers as were discontented with the service. They 
concluded, if they deserted and effected their escape it 
was well ; if they should be apprehended and condemn- 
ed by a court-martial, General Harrison would save them 
by his pardoning power. Under this state of things, the 
public service suffered, and some examples were called 
for, to check the daily desertions which were taking 
place. McArthur was a man of sterner mould. When 
the command of the western army devolved upon him in 
1814, he convened a general court-martial in the town of 
Chillicothe, for the purpose of trying the numerous de- 
serters that had been apprehended and brought to head- 
quarters. The court-martial was in session more than a 
month. At the close of this session, twenty six of the 
deserters were condemned to be shot. All were pardon- 
ed but four. These four had deserted several times, and 
were retaken. On these four General McArthur permit- 
ted the sentence of law, as expressed by the court-martial, 
to be executed. For this, during the canvass of the election, 
he was bitterly assailed. He was charged with being a cruel 
tyrant — a monster, thirsting for blood. Although these 
charges were rung against him in the bitterest language 
of malice and envy, and with all the changes that the 
genius of his opposers could invent — and some of them 



176 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

were men of talents — yet all their abuse did not avail 
them : he was elected by a triumphant majority. 

He now took part in a scene that was new to him. 
The congress of the United States was generally made 
up of men of the first talents in the nation. McArthur 
was a new man, who, without education or influential 
friends, by the force of his own genius, had slowly but 
steadily wormed his way out of the deepest obscurity to 
distinction among his fellow-citizens. In his politics, he 
was an enthusiastic republican of the Jeffersonian school. 
His oldest son he named Thomas Jefferson. He was an 
admirer of Presidents Madison and Monroe. In congress, 
he was a firm, undeviating supporter of what was then 
termed the American System. This system of policy 
was mainly introduced and supported in congress by Mr. 
Henry Clay. The object of those politicians, who sup- 
ported the American System, appeared to be to engage 
the general government in a system of internal improve- 
ments ; and to carry out those measures, that congress 
should levy taxes for the purpose of making roads and 
constructing canals, for the convenience of commercial 
transport between the states : and secondly, to levy heavy 
duties on all articles of foreign importation, which could 
be manufactured within our own country, in order to 
prevent foreign manufacturers from coming in competi- 
tion with American manufacturers. This was called the 
high tariff. Of this plan of policy McArthur was a de- 
voted and efficient supporter. Although he was slow and 
deliberate in forming opinions, when formed, he never 
yielded to opposition. 

Whilst General McArthur remained a member of con- 
gress, he had considerable influence in that body. His 
persevering industry, his energetic mind, his sound judg- 
ment, and practical business habits, rendered him a very 
efficient member. He would sometimes make short 
pithy remarks on the business before the house, but 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itt' ARTHUR. 177 

made no attempts at those flourishes of eloquence, which 
tickle the fancy and please the ear. After having served 
two sessions in congress, he declined a re-election, being 
determined to devote all his efforts to arrange his domes- 
tic concerns. He left the field of politics to others, and 
engaged with an unremitted attention to settle his land 
business. 

Having at all times prided himself in the adroitness 
and dexterity with which he could take the advantage of 
any defects in the locations or surveys of other land 
speculators, he was involved in a labyrinth of litigation. 
He appeared to take as much pride in overreaching other 
land speculators, as ever ambitious general did in outman- 
euvering his adversary on the field of battle. Although 
he has succeeded in amassing a large fortune, mostly by 
land speculation, yet, the evening of his days is clouded 
by turmoil, vexation, and the uncertainty of the law. If 
wealth, generally, affords no more peace of mind than it 
has to General McArthur, it is not worth the coveting. 
Although he has been successful in his land speculations, 
his conduct in this line of business is not worthy of imi- 
tation, but rather reprehensible, and has created him more 
vexation and enemies, than all the other acts of his life. 

The summer of 1830, General McArthur' s friends, 
against his inclination, placed his name in nomination as 
a candidate for the office of governor of the state of Ohio. 
At this time, General Jackson had come into power, and 
his partizans were well organized. It was well known, 
that General McArthur was a supporter of the internal 
improvement system ; he was also in favor of what was 
called the high tariff; and what was more odious to the 
Jackson party, he was in favor of rechartering the United 
States bank. The Jackson party assailed his character 
with all the animosity and virulence that party strife en- 
genders. The affair of permitting the deserters to be 
shot, was again brought forward in a new, extended and 



178 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

frightful edition. The party, in their zeal, depicted Gen- 
eral McArthur, as a monster, whose delight was in blood : 
they had forgotten, that their own chief was, at least, 
equally, if not more, obnoxious to censure in this respect. 
Perhaps both were actuated by a sense of duty for the 
good of their country. McArthur's land speculations 
were depicted in the most horrid colors. From these 
publications, it would appear, that he had dispossessed 
of their homes almost every widow and orphan within 
his reach. So far from this being a true representation 
of his land law suits — he generally contended with none 
but other land speculators ; and this was a war of " Greek 
to Greek." All the weapons of the party, though well 
aimed and dexterously handled, did not avail them : he 
was elected by a considerable majority. 

His duty, as Governor of the state, was discharged 
with fidelity. No party clamor was raised against him. 
The pardoning power, intrusted to the Governor of the 
state, is a delicate trust. Every criminal has friends, 
who will use every means to procure pardons — by peti- 
tions, letters, and personal applications by mothers, by 
wives, by fathers, by sisters and brothers. To resist 
such applications, requires some firmness. Governor 
McArthur was applied to for the pardon^of two criminals 
in such a courtly manner, that the petition itself will be 
interesting. The petition is dated " October 25th, 1832," 
and reads in the following courtly words : "To his ex- 
cellency, Duncan McArthur, commander in chief of the 
state of Ohio — Sir, we are sorry that we are necessita- 
ted to address you at present, but your executive acts 
have been such that compels us to do so. You have 
pardoned John Murry a most notorious villain, and has 
left Lawrence Lynch in prison, who is an innocent man 
who happened to be in company with Murry when he 
was arrested. To be plain with you, you have been in 
the habit of pardoning those who were most guilty, and 






GENERAL DUNCAN M ARTHUR. i7& 

suffering those who were innocent to remain in prison. 
We know you to be a soldier, who has risked your life 
in defence of your country, and some of us was soldiers 
in the war and fought in the same battles, we are sorry to 
have recourse to harsh means therefore as you have the 
power you will release Lawrence Lynch and Owen 
McCormack, who is another innocent man— if you do 
not we are sufficiently numerous and fully determined 
and will bring fire and destruction on your property first 
and if that fails we will in the end take your life — 
Remember we are soldiers and sworn to do it or die. 
Remember." It is unnecessary to say this modest peti- 
tion had no effect on a man of Mc Arthur's nerve ; neither 
did these courteous petitioners make an unmeaning and 
empty threat. On the night of the tenth of November 
(only fifteen days after the date of the above letter) about 
nine o'clock at night, his large barn, being full of grain, 
was discovered wrapped in flames. As the citizens of 
Chillicothe had not then retired to rest, and the barn be- 
ing in full view of the town, the citizens, with praise- 
worthy activity, rushed to the fire. As a Mr. John Harly 
was running to the fire on foot, he saw a horse with a 
bridle on, near the road side. Harly mounted the horse 
and rode him to the conflagration. This horse must 
have belonged to the incendiary who put the fire to the 
barn. Mr. Harly advertised the horse in several news- 
papers, but no person ever appeared to claim him. Some 
months after the burning of the barn, an elegant saddle 
was found in a deep hollow below the barn. The horse 
was exhibited at public meetings in several counties, but 
no one knew him. The incendiary must have come 
from a distant place, or the horse would have led to his 
discovery. 

General McArthur's term of Governor expired without 
any thing further occurring worthy of notice. He was 
again a candidate for a seat in the house of representa- 



180 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tives of congress, and lost his election by one vote. 
Here, then, is closed the history of his public life. 

I have omitted to notice, in its progressive date, a cir- 
cumstance that befell Gen. McArthur, which accident has 
been the ultimate cause of clouding the evening of his days 
in misery. On the 6th day of February, 1830, as he was 
passing in the street of the city of Columbus, on a side walk 
with a covering like a porch projecting twelve feet into the 
street, the roof of this projection being covered with a 
heavy fall of snow, the slight frame- work gave way just 
as McArthur came under it, and crushed him on the 
pavement. The roof was moved from him as soon as 
possible. In one of his knees all the joints were broken ; 
and he was otherwise horridly bruised in every part of 
the body — so much so, that his life was despaired of for 
some time. He, at length, partially recovered : the broken 
knee still remains crippled, and gives way as easy back- 
wards as forward. From the severe crushing his body 
received in this melancholy accident, his bodily powers 
have been constantly on the decline. His once powerful 
and energetic mind appears to sink and give way with 
his bodily strength. The once athletic and ambitious 
Duncan McArthur, is now neither an object of envy to 
his enemies, nor much attended to by those who formerly 
professed to be his devoted friends. Almost ever since 
the accident happened him, he has been confined to his 
room, only occasionally taking a little exercise in his 
carriage. Instead of being that strong, athletic man, that 
exposure nor hardship could weary, nor danger appal, he 
is now a helpless old man, that requires assistance to rise 
or lie down. Such a contrast as is exhibited in this man, 
should humble the pride of strength and ambition. 

Although it is but a few years since the fatal accident 
took place, he appears to be already almost forgotten by 
all, but more especially by the gay and fashionable, who 
in the days of health and prosperity, fluttered around him, 



GENERAL DUNCAN Itt' ARTHUR. 181 

like satellites around a brilliant planet. He is now almost 
a stranger, where, a short time since, his word was law. 
Such are the changeful vicissitudes in human affairs. It 
is in the time of adversity that the value of a real disin- 
terested friendship proves its worth. He had one friend 
who clung to him in his afflictions, and used every means 
in her power to sooth his mind and anticipate his wants 
— his wife, the partner of his fortune, stood by him in 
his time of suffering ; and diligently watched over his 
couch, night and day, till her frail frame gave way by 
constant watching and fatigue. She sickened, and died 
on the 23d of October, 1836, in the fifty-seventh year of 
her age. She was an exemplary and religious woman, 
well versed in business, and whose prudence and care 
over her husband's domestic affairs, contributed largely 
to his happiness and interest. No woman, in Chillicothe 
or its vicinity, more generously relieved the necessities 
of the poor. By her wealth she was enabled to be libe- 
ral ; and her strong and discriminating mind could clearly 
discover the proper objects of charity. May her chil- 
dren imitate her moral, prudent, and industrious example, 
and prove themselves worthy of such a mother ! 

Since the death of his wife, General McArthur remains 
with but little change : the lonely occupant of his room, 
he is indeed " solitary and almost alone." His mind is 
in such a morbid state, that it presents no picture of what 
it once was. Absent and indifferent on most subjects, 
it can only be occasionally roused to reflection on his 
own affairs. 

General Mc Arthur's private character, in many respects, 
was worthy of imitation. His energy and untiring in- 
dustry in whatever pursuit he engaged, deserves the 
highest praise. Wherever he came across an old 
frontier man in distress, his purse was open for his 
relief. His hospitality at his own mansion, was bor- 



182 GENERAL DUNCAN Bl' ARTHUR. 

dering on extravagance ; no one left him hungry or 
thirsty. Notwithstanding that he was liberal in feeding 
the hungry, and clothing the naked, he was admitted 
to be a close and severe dealer. 




[Face 183.] 



General Wayne. 



A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 



OF 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS 



OF GEN. WAYNE'S ARMY, IN 1794. 



CHAPTER I. 



It is possible that the author claims more merit for 
the achievements of the old frontier men, than the men 
of the present day are willing to admit. However that 
may be, he here presents to the reading public a few 
acts, which took place on the campaign with Gen. 
Wayne, in 1794. 

Gen. Wayne had a bold, vigilant, and dexterous en- 
emy to contend with. It became indispensable for him 
to use the utmost caution in his movements, to guard 
against surprise. To secure his army against the pos- 
sibility of being ambuscaded, he employed a number of 
the best woodsmen the frontier afforded, to act as spies 
or rangers. Captain Ephraim Kibby, one of the first 
settlers at Columbia, eight miles above Cincinnati, who 
had distinguished himself as a bold and intrepid soldier, 
in defending that infant settlement, commanded the prin- 
cipal part of the spies. The writer of this article, and 
his brother Thomas, were attached to Captain Kibby's 
company of rangers. This will account for the author's 
intimate knowledge of the subject of which he is giving 
a relation. A very effective division of the spies was 
commanded by Captain William Wells. 

183 



184 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Captain Wells had been taken prisoner by the Indians 
when quite a youth ; he grew to manhood with them, 
and consequently was well acquainted with all their wiles 
and stratagems. From causes not now remembered, 
about eighteen months previous to the time of which I 
am writing, he left the Indians, and returned to his re- 
latives and friends in civilized life. Being raised by the 
Indians, well acquainted with the country which was 
about to be the theater of action, talking several of their 
languages fluently, and withal desperately brave, such a 
soldier was a real, effective acquisition to the army. 
Captain Wells was the same gentleman named by the 
Rev. O. M. Spencer, in the narrative of his capture by 
the Indians, and release from captivity. It was to Capt. 
Wells that Mr. Spencer was primarily indebted for his 
liberty. (See Spencer's Narrative, page 105.) I am 
particular in describing this corps of the army, as they 
performed more real service than any other. 

Attached to Captain Wells' command were the follow- 
ing men : Robert M'Lelland (whose name has been 
since immortalized by the graphic pen of Washington 
Irving, in his " Astoria"), was one of the most athletic 
and active men on foot, that has appeared on this globe. 
On the grand parade at Fort Greenville, where the ground 
was very little inclined, to show his activity, he leaped 
over a road-wagon with the cover stretched over ; the 
wagon and bows were eight and a half feet high. Next 
was Henry Miller. He and a younger brother, named 
Christopher, had been made captives by the Indians 
when young, and adopted into an Indian family. Henry 
Miller lived with them till he was about twenty-four 
years of age ; and although he had adopted all their 
manners and customs, he at that age began to think of 
returning to his relatives among the whites. The longer 
he reflected on the subject, the stronger his resolution 
grew to make an attempt to leave the Indians. He com- 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 185 

municated his intention to his brother Christopher, and 
used every reason he was capable of, to induce his 
brother to accompany him in his flight. All his argu- 
ments were ineffectual. Christopher was young when 
made captive — he was now a good hunter, an expert 
woodsman, and in the full sense of the word, a free and 
independent Indian. Henry Miller set off alone through 
the woods, and arrived safe among his friends in Ken- 
tucky. Captain Wells was well acquainted with Miller 
during his captivity, and knew that he possessed that 
firm intrepidity which would render him a valuable com- 
panion in time of need. To these were added a Mr. 
Hickman, and Mr. Thorp, who were men of tried worth 
in Indian warfare. 

Captain Wells and his four companions were confi- 
dential and privileged gentlemen in camp, who were only 
called upon to do duty upon very particular and interest- 
ing occasions. They were permitted a carte blanche 
among the horses of the dragoons, and when upon duty 
went well mounted ; whilst the spies commanded by 
Captain Kibby went on foot, and were kept constantly 
on the alert, scouring the country in every direction. 

The head quarters of the army being at Fort Green- 
ville, in the month of June, Gen. Wayne dispatched 
Captain Wells and his company, with orders to bring in- 
to camp an Indian as a prisoner, in order that he could 
interrogate him as to the future intentions of the enemy. 
Captain Wells proceeded with cautious steps through the 
Indian country. He crossed the river St. Mary, and 
thence to the river Auglaize, without meeting any strag- 
gling party of Indians. In passing up the Auglaize 
they discovered a smoke : they then dismounted, tied 
their horses, and proceeded cautiously to reconnoiter the 
enemy. They found three Indians camped on a high, 
open piece of ground, clear of brush, or any underwood. 
As it w r as open woods, they found it would be difficult 
14 



186 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

to approach the camp without being discovered. Whilst 
they were reconnoitering, they saw not very distant from 
the camp, a tree which had lately fallen. They returned 
and went round the camp, so as to get the top of the 
fallen tree between them and the Indians. The tree-top 
being full of leaves, would serve as a shelter to screen 
them from observation. They went forward upon their 
hands and knees, with the noiseless movements of the 
cat, till they reached the tree-top. They were now 
within seventy or eighty yards of the camp. The In- 
dians were sitting or standing about the fire, roasting 
their venison, laughing and making other merry antics, 
little dreaming that death was about stealing a march up- 
on them. Arrived at the fallen tree, their purpose of at- 
tack was soon settled ; they determined to kill two of 
the enemy, and make the third prisoner. McLelland, 
who it will be remembered, was almost as swift on foot 
as a deer of the forest, was to catch the Indian, whilst to 
Wells and Miller was confided the duty of shooting the 
other two. One of them was to shoot the one on the 
right, the other the one on the left. Their rifles were in 
prime order, the muzzles of their guns were placed on 
the log of the fallen tree, the sights were aimed for the 
Indians' hearts — whiz went the balls, and both Indians 
fell. Before the smoke of the burnt powder had risen 
six feet, McLelland was running at full stretch, with 
tomahawk in hand, for the Indian. The Indian bounded 
off at the top of his speed, and made down the river ; 
but by continuing in that direction he discovered that 
McLelland would head him. He turned his course and 
made for the river. The river here had a bluff bank, 
about twenty feet high. When he came to the bank he 
sprang [down into the river, the bottom of which was a 
soft mud, into which he sunk to the middle. While he 
was endeavoring to extricate himself out of the mud, 
McLelland came to the top of the high bank, and with- 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 187 

out hesitation sprang upon him, as he was wallowing in 
the mire. The Indian drew his knife — McLelland raised 
his tomahawk — told him to throw down his knife, or he 
would kill him instantly. He threw down his knife, 
and surrendered without any further effort at resistance. 
By the time the scuffle had ceased in the mire, Wells 
and his companions came to the bank, and discovered 
McLelland and the Indian quietly sticking in the mire. 
As their prisoner was now secure, they did not think it 
prudent to take the fearful leap the others had done. 
They selected a place where the bank was less preci- 
pitous, went down and dragged the captive out of the 
mud, and tied him. He was very sulky, and refused to 
speak either Indian or English. ' Some of the party went 
back for their horses, whilst others washed the mud and 
paint from the prisoner. When washed, he turned out 
to be a white man, but still refused to speak, or give any 
account of himself. The party scalped the two Indians 
whom they had shot, and then set off with their prisoner 
for head quarters. Whilst on their return to Fort Green- 
ville, Henry Miller began to admit the idea that it was 
possible their prisoner was his brother Christopher, 
whom he had left with the Indians some years previous. 
Under this impression he rode alongside of him, and 
called him by his Indian name. At the sound of his 
name he started, and stared round, and eagerly inquired 
how he came to know his name. The mystery was soon 
explained — their prisoner was indeed Christopher Mil- 
ler ! A mysterious providence appeared to have placed 
Christopher Miller in a situation in the camp, by which 
his life was preserved. Had he been standing on the 
right or left, he would inevitably have been killed. But 
that fate which appears to have doomed the Indian race 
to extinction, permitted the white man to live, whilst the 
Indians were permitted to meet that M fate they cannot 
shun." 



188 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

Captain Wells arrived safely with their prisoner at 
Fort Greenville. He was placed in the guard house, 
where Gen. Wayne frequently interrogated him as to 
what he knew of the future intentions of the Indians. 
Captain Wells and Henry Miller were almost constantly 
with Christopher in the guard house, urging him to leave 
off the thought of living longer with the Indians, and to 
join his relatives among the whites. Christopher for 
some time was reserved and sulky, but at length became 
more cheerful, and agreed, if they would release him 
from confinement, that he would remain with the whites. 
Captain Wells and Henry Miller solicited Gen. Wayne 
for Christopher's liberty. Gen. Wayne could scarcely 
deny such pleaders any request they could make, and 
without hesitation ordered Christopher Miller to be set 
at liberty ; remarking, that should he deceive them and 
return to the enemy, they would be but one the stronger. 
Christopher was set at liberty, and appeared pleased 
with his change of situation. He was mounted on a fine 
horse, and otherwise well equipped for war. He joined 
the company with Captain Wells and his brother, and 
fought bravely against the Indians during the continuance 
of the war. He was true to his word, and upon every 
occasion proved himself an intrepid and daring soldier. 



CHAPTER II. 

As soon as Captain Wells and company had rested 
themselves and recruited their horses, they were anxious 
for another bout with the red men. Time, without ac- 
tion, was irksome to such stirring spirits. Early in July 
they left Greenville ; their company was then strength- 
ened by the addition of Christopher Miller ; their orders 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 189 

were to bring in prisoners. They pushed through the 
country, always dressed and painted in Indian style ; 
they passed on, crossing the river St. Mary, and then 
through the country near to the river Auglaize, where 
they met a single Indian, and called to him to surrender. 
This man, notwithstanding that the whites were six 
against one, refused to surrender. He leveled his rifle, 
and as the whites were approaching him on horseback, 
he fired, but missed his mark, and then took to his heels 
to effect his escape. The undergrowth of brush was so 
very thick that he gained upon his pursuers. McLelland 
and Christopher Miller dismounted, and McLelland soon 
overhauled him. The Indian, finding himself overtaken 
by his pursuers, turned round and made a blow at Mc- 
Lelland with his rifle, which was parried. As McLel- 
land's intention was not to kill, he kept him at bay till 
Christopher Miller came up, when they closed in upon 
him, and made him prisoner without receiving any in- 
jury. They turned about for head quarters, and arrived 
safely at Fort Greenville. Their prisoner was reputed 
to be a Potawotamie chief, whose courage and prowess 
was scarcely equaled. As Christopher Miller had per- 
formed his part on this occasion to the entire satisfaction 
of the brave spirits with whom he acted, he had, as he 
merited, their entire confidence. 

It is not my intention to give a detailed account of the 
various actions performed by the spies attached to Gen. 
Wayne's army, although it would be a narrative most 
interesting to western readers. I have selected only a 
few of the acts performed by Captain Wells, and his en- 
terprising followers, to show what kind of men they 
were. History, in no age of the world, furnishes so 
many instances of repeated acts of bravery as were per- 
formed by the frontier men of western Pennsylvania, 
western Virginia, and Kentucky ; yet these acts of ap- 
parent desperation were so frequently repeated by num- 



190 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

bers, that they were scarcely noticed at the time as being 
any other than the common occurrence of the day. 

I have no doubt, that during General Wayne's cam- 
paign, Captain Wells, and the few men he commanded, 
brought in not less than twenty prisoners, and killed 
more than an equal number. Desperate as they were in 
combat, that bravery was only a part of their merit, is 
demonstrated by the following circumstance. 

On one of Captain Wells' peregrinations through the 
Indian country, as he came to the bank of the river St. 
Mary, he discovered a family of Indians coming up the 
river in a canoe. He dismounted, and concealed his men 
near the bank of the river, whilst he went himself to the 
bank, in open view, and called to the Indians to come 
over. As he was dressed in Indian style, and spoke to 
them in their own language, the Indians, not expecting 
an enemy in that part of the country, without any sus- 
picion of danger went across the river. The moment 
the canoe struck the shore, Wells heard the cocks of his 
comrades* rifles cry, " nick, nick," as they prepared to 
shoot the Indians ; but who should be in the canoe but 
his Indian father and mother, with their children ! As 
his comrades were coming forward with their rifles 
cocked, ready to pour in the deadly storm upon the de- 
voted Indians, Wells called upon them to hold their hands 
and desist. He then informed them who those Indians 
were, and solemnly declared, that the man who would 
attempt to injure one of them, would receive a ball in his 
head. He said to his men, " that that family had fed 
him when he was hungry, clothed him when he was 
naked, and kindly nursed him when sick ; and in every 
respect were as kind and affectionate to him as they were 
to their own children." 

This short, pathetic speech, found its way to the sym- 
pathetic hearts of his leather-hunting-shirt comrades. 
Although they would have made but a shabby appear- 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 191 

ance on being introduced to a fashionable tea-party, or 
into a splendid ball-room, amongst polished grandees, or 
into a ceremonious levee, to pass through unmeaning 
becks, bows, and courtesies — the present was a scene of 
nature, and gratitude the motive ; they all, at once, en- 
tered into their leader's feelings. I never knew a truly 
bruve man, who could hold back the tear of sympathy at 
the joy, grief, or sorrow of his fellow man : it is the 
timid coward who is cruel when he has the advantage. 
Those hardy soldiers approved of the motives of Captain 
Wells' lenity to the enemy. They threw down their 
rifles and tomahawks, went to the canoe, and shook 
hands with the trembling Indians in the most friendly 
manner. Captain Wells assured them they had nothing 
to fear from him ; and after talking with them to dispel 
their fears, he said, " that General Wayne was approach- 
ing with an overwhelming force ; that the best thing the 
Indians could do was to make peace ; that the white men 
did not wish to continue the war. He urged his Indian 
father for the future to keep out of the reach of danger." 
He then bade them farewell : they appeared grateful for 
his clemency. They then pushed off their canoe, and 
went down the river as fast as they could propel her. 

Captain Wells and his comrades, though perfect des- 
peradoes in fight, upon this occasion proved they largely 
possessed that real gratitude and benevolence of heart, 
which does honor to human kind. 



192 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 



CHAPTER III. 



Early in the month of August, when the main army 
had arrived at the place subsequently designated as fort 
Defiance, General Wayne wished to be informed of the 
intentions of the enemy. For this purpose, Captain 
Wells was again dispatched to bring in another prisoner. 
The distance from fort Defiance to the British fort, at 
the mouth of the Maumee river, was only forty-five 
miles, and he would not have to travel far before he 
would find Indians. As his object was to bring in a 
prisoner, it became necessary for him to keep out of the 
way of large parties, and endeavor to fall in with some 
stragglers, who might be easily subdued and captured. 

They went cautiously down the river Maumee, till 
they came opposite the site on which fort Meigs was 
erected by General Harrison, in 1813. This was two 
miles above the British fort, then called fort Campbell. 
On the west bank of the Maumee was an Indian village. 
Wells and his party rode into the village, as if they had 
just come from the British fort. Being dressed and 
painted in complete Indian style, they rode through the 
village, occasionally stopping and talking to the Indians 
in their own language. No suspicion of who they were 
was excited, the enemy believing them to be Indians 
from a distance, coming to take a part in the battle which 
they all knew was shortly to be fought. After they had 
passed the village some distance, they fell in with an In- 
dian man and woman on horseback, who were returning 
to the town from hunting. This man and woman were 
made captives without resistance. They then set off for 
fort Defiance. 

As they were rapidly proceeding up the Maumee river, 
a little after dark, they came near a large encampment of 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 193 

Indians, who were merrily amusing themselves around 
their camp-fires. Their prisoners were ordered to be 
silent, under pain of instant death. They went round 
the camp with their prisoners, till they got about half a 
mile above it, where they halted to consult on their future 
operations. After consultation, they concluded to gag 
and tie their prisoners, and ride back to the Indian camp, 
and give them a rally, in which each should kill his In- 
dian. They deliberately got down, gagged, and fastened 
their prisoners to trees, rode boldly into the Indian en- 
campment, and halted, with their rifles lying across the 
pummels of their saddles. They inquired when last 
they h«d heard of General Wayne, and the movements 
of his army ; how soon, and where it was expected the 
battle would be fought. The Indians who were standing 
around Wells and his desperadoes, were very communi- 
cative, answering all their interrogatories without sus- 
pecting any deceit in their visitors. At length, an Indian, 
who was sitting some distance from them, said in an 
under tone, in another tongue, to some who were near 
him, that he suspected that these strangers had some mis- 
chief in their heads. Wells overheard what he said, and 
immediately gave the preconcerted signal, and each fired 
his rifle into the body of an Indian, at not more than six 
feet distance. The Indian who had suspected them, the 
moment he made the remark, and a number of others, 
rose up with their rifles in their hands, but not before 
Wells and his party had each shot an Indian. As soon 
as Wells and his party fired, they put spurs to their 
horses, laying with their breasts on the horses' necks, so 
as to lessen the mark for the enemy to fire at. They 
had not got out of the light of the camp-fire, before the 
Indians shot at them. As McLelland lay close on his 
horse's neck, he was shot, the ball passing under his 
shoulder-blade, and coming out at the top of his shoulder 
Captain Wells was shot through the arm on which he 



194 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

carried his rifle ; the arm was broken, and his trusty- 
rifle fell. The rest of the party and their horses received 
no injury. 

What confidence, what self-possession was displayed 
by these men, in this terrific encounter! They beat 
General Marion and his sergeants hollow ! They had 
come off unscathed in so many desperate conflicts, that 
their souls were callous to danger. As they had no 
rivals in the army, they aimed to outdo their former ex- 
ploits. To ride into the enemy's camp, and enter into 
conversation with them, without betraying the least ap- 
pearance of trepidation or confusion, proves how well 
their souls were steeled. This action of real life even 
rivals the fictious, though sublime muse of the Grecian 
poet. Homer sends forth his invincible hero, protected 
by the invulnerable panoply of Jupiter, to make a night 
attack upon the enemy. Diomede makes the successful 
assault upon sleeping foes. Not so our western heroes ; 
they boldly went into the midst of the enemy, while 
their camp-fires were burning bright, and openly com- 
menced the work of death. 

After having performed this act of military superero- 
gation, they rode at full speed to where their captives 
were confined, mounted them on horses, and set off for 
fort Defiance. Captain Wells and McLelland were se- 
verely wounded ; and to fort Defiance, a distance of about 
thirty miles, they had to travel, before they could rest or 
receive the aid of a surgeon. As their march would be 
slow and painful, one of the party was dispatched at full 
speed to fort Defiance, for a guard and a surgeon. As 
soon as Captain Wells' messenger arrived at fort De- 
fiance, with the tidings of the wounds and perilous situ- 
ation of these heroic and faithful spies, very great sym- 
pathy was manifested in the minds of all. General 
Wayne's feeling for the suffering soldier, was at all times 
quick and sensitive : we can then imagine how intense 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 195 

was his solicitude, when informed of the sufferings and 
perils of his confidential and chosen band. Without a 
moment's delay, he dispatched a surgeon, and a company 
of the swiftest dragoons, to meet, assist, and guard these 
brave fellows to head-quarters. Suffice to say, they ar- 
rived safely in camp, and the wounded recovered in due 
course of time. 

As the battle was fought, and a brilliant victory won, 
a few days after this affair took place, Captain Wells and 
his daring comrades, were not engaged in any further 
acts of hostility, till the war with the Indians was aus- 
piciously concluded by a lasting treaty of peace. 

A new and happy era was about dawning on the west. 
A cruel and exterminating war, of nearly fifty years' con- 
tinuance, was closed by a general peace with the red 
men of the forest. The names and memories of these 
brave men, whose march was in the front of danger, 
should be held in veneration by the millions who now 
repose in peace and quiet on the territory they acquired 
at the risk of their lives, in a thousand battles. 

It is very natural for the reader to inquire, what be- 
came of these men after the war terminated ? What 
became of Thorp, Hickman, and the two Millers, I have 
never learned; but, if alive, they probably reside in 
some smoky cabin in the far and distant west, unknown 
and unhonored. The last I heard of the brave, hardy, 
and active McLelland, he had just returned to St. Louis, 
in 1812, from an expedition across the Rocky mountains. 
He had been to the Pacific ocean, at the mouth of the 
Columbia river. Such a tour, through uncultivated, un- 
peopled oceans of prairie, and then to labor through 
the tempestuous bursts of snow and sleet, which whirl 
in almost continual storms around the heights of the 
frightful world of rocks which compose the dreary Rocky 
mountains, where winter eternally reigns — this enterprise 
was equal to the daring genius of the man. 



196 CAPTAIN WILLIAM WELLS. 

The fate of the brave and lamented Captain Wells 
was sealed during the late war, on the 15th of August, 
1812, near fort Dearborn, at the mouth of the Chicago 
river, on the bank of lake Michigan, where he was slain 
in an unequal combat ; where sixty-four whites were at- 
tacked by upwards of four hundred Indian warriors. 
Then fell as bold a spirit as ever shouldered a rifle or 
wielded a tomahawk. 



A SKETCH OF THE LIFE 

OF 

GENERAL SIMON KENTON, 

OF KENTUCKY. 



For the benefit and gratification of those who may come 
after us, it is right to preserve, for future inspection, re- 
cords of the actions of men, who have been instruments 
to prepare the way for settling the Western Country. 

To dispossess the barbarous occupants of the almost 
boundless wilds of the west, required men of resolute 
minds ; and whose bodily composition contained more 
than the usual quantity of lime and iron, to enable them 
to endure the fatigue and hardships they had to encounter. 

It is a remarkable fact, of nearly all the old frontier- 
men, that although their trade was war, their hospitality 
was boundless. They relieved the wants of the stranger, 
fed the hungry, and clothed the naked. No traveller 
was permitted to pay for meat, drink, or lodging at their 
cabins. 

General Simon Kenton was born in the month of 
March, A. D. 1755, in the county of Fauquier, state of 
Virginia. His father was a native of Ireland ; his mother, 
whose maiden name was Miller, was of Scotch descent, 
her ancestors being among the first immigrants to Vir- 
ginia. His parents being poor, he was, to the age of 
sixteen, employed chiefly in the culture of corn and to- 

197 



198 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

bacco. At this period, our country being governed by a 
kingly aristocracy, which lorded over the laboring classes 
in all the pride of a superior caste, the poor — having no 
motive for exertion — were not ashamed to be ignorant. 
Learning was then almost exclusively in possession of 
the clergy, lawyers, and commercial men, or the wealthy 
farmers, whose estates were entailed. Common schools 
were then almost unknown in the southern states. As 
the Kenton family were poor, Simon grew to manhood 
without learning his A B C. 

Notwithstanding man is a free agent, and his future 
character and usefulness depend on his own choice, yet 
we see, on some occasions, uncontrollable circumstances 
fix his destiny : an invisible influence appears to guide 
his fate. In .the sixteenth year of Kenton's age, an inci- 
dent occurred, which gave a new direction to his mind, 
and apparently changed the destiny of his life. 

The neighborhood in which he was brought up was 
sparsely inhabited, and implements of husbandry, not re- 
quired for constant use, such as broad-axes, whip and 
crosscut saws, were purchased and used as common prop- 
erty. As was common, under such circumstances, social 
intercourse prevailed, and they were in the constant habit 
of assisting each other at house-raisings, log-rollings, 
corn-huskings, &c. Old Mr. Kenton had a neighbor by 
the name of Veach, with whom he lived on the most 
friendly terms. At this time, one of Mr. Veach's sons 
married a girl to whom Simon was much attached. The 
truth was, although he was only turned of sixteen years 
of age, he was deeply in love. There are few but know 
something of the frenzied feelings occasioned by disap- 
pointment in this passion. He, like most unfortunate 
lovers, felt himself exquisitely injured. Being of a warm 
temperament, and in his first love, his mind was in a 
tempest. He thought himself undone, and, in the heat of 
his passion, unbidden, went to the wedding, where mirth 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 199 

and good-humor prevailed till his intrusion. As soon as 
he entered the room, he looked round and saw the new- 
married pair seated on the side of a bed, and without hesi- 
tation, went forward and obtruded himself between the 
married couple. A brother of the bridegroom saw the 
intrusion, and inticed Simon away under the pretence of 
wishing to treat him, and while in the act of drinking, 
William Veach struck him a blow which laid him pros- 
trate on the floor — followed it with a severe beating, and 
sent him home with black eyes and sore bones. As this 
affair was looked upon as a boyish freak, it did not in- 
terrupt the general harmony and good feeling of the two 
families ; but Simon, who lost his girl, and got a severe 
flogging into the bargain, viewed the affair in a different 
light. He felt his future prospects ruined and his char- 
acter disgraced, and in sullen silence determined on 
revenge, for which an opportunity soon offered. 

His father sent him to old Mr. Veach's for a crosscut 
saw. Mr. Veach had rived some timber in boards about 
one hundred and fifty yards from his house, and Wil- 
liam Veach was engaged in carrying them to his father, 
who was covering a small outhouse. After Simon had 
procured the saw, he and William walked together to the 
place where the boards had been made. Here they stop- 
ped, and Simon laid down the saw, and said to William, 
" You and your friends had fine sport the other night, 
in beating me at the wedding : now, we are alone, and 
can have a fair fight." William replied, " that they had 
been raised boys together, and never had a difference, 
except the one mentioned, which was a foolish, drunken 
frolic ; that he wished to say no more about it , that he 
had no desire to fight, and would prefer to live in peace 
and friendship." But, as Simon would admit of no 
apology, they threw off their coats and went to work. 
Victory for some time hung in a doubtful balance. Simon, 
at length, threw his antagonist to the ground, and as quick 



200 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

as thought, drawing his queue of long hair round a small 
sapling, had him completely in his power. There he 
beat him until his strength began to fail ; then, letting go 
the hair, he kicked him on the breast and stomach till 
no further resistance was offered. Simon, having now 
gratified his vindictive feelings, desisted from further 
abuse. William attempted to rise, but immediately sunk, 
and began to puke blood. As Simon had not intended 
to kill him, he now raised him up, and spoke kindly to 
him, but received no answer, and beheld him sink to the 
ground, apparently lifeless. After standing by him for 
some time, without perceiving any signs of returning 
life, he started for home, under the most poignant and 
awful sensations. By the time he had traveled half way 
home, he began to reflect, seriously, on the rash act he 
had committed. He knew that young Veach would soon 
be missed, and that his father had seen them walk toge- 
ther; and consequently, it was impossible for him to 
think of concealing or denying the murder. The horror 
of being hanged then rushed upon his guilty soul, and he 
resolved upon immediate flight. He laid down his saw 
on the path, and without stopping to see or consult 
parents or friends, he fled to the woods, and made for 
the Allegheny mountains. This was on the 6th of April, 
A. D. 1771. Lying concealed by day, he traveled by 
night. In this way, he passed over the mountains, and 
came to a place called Ise's Ford, on Cheat river, a 
branch of the Monongahela. When he arrived at this 
place, he was nearly exhausted with fatigue and famine. 
Here he changed his name to that of Simon Butler. 
While he remained in this neighborhood, his mind was 
a continual prey to bitter remorse and fear ; fancying 
that every one he saw was in pursuit of him. 

What heart could fail to pity the situation of the unfor- 
tunate youth, who, by one rash act, was driven from his 
friends and home — a fugitive from justice — under a ficti- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 201 

tious name, a solitary wanderer : illiterate, pennyless and 
friendless. And the act, too, which had plunged him 
into this forlorn condition, seems to have been entirely 
foreign from his nature. In subsequent life, he mani- 
fested a mild and forgiving disposition, and maintained a 
character entirely the reverse of what his early conduct 
seemed to prognosticate. 

That Providence, who so overruled the wickedness of 
Joseph's brethren, as to make it productive of blessings 
to him and to them, seems to have used the circumstance 
above mentioned, for the purpose of forcing into active 
service, one whose athletic frame and fortitude, and de- 
cision of character, were admirably adapted to the toils 
and dangers to which he was exposed, and which qual- 
ities were indispensable in preparing the way for the 
settlement and civilization of the almost boundless West. 
Well it is for man, that he can only see the present. He 
is too apt to anticipate evil ; and could he penetrate the 
veil which conceals the future, how often would despair 
banish hope, and paralize his efforts. God, in mercy to 
his creatures, keeps the future out of sight. If it had 
been possible for Kenton, at this time, to have foreseen 
the thorny path through which he was doomed to pass, 
his soul, though large and fearless, would nave shrunk 
from the appalling prospect, and the western country 
been deprived of the prince of pioneers. 

I will now return to my narrative. He had been oc- 
casionally laboring and sauntering about Cheat river for 
some months, when he fell in company with William 
Grills, Jacob Greathouse, and two men by the name of 
Mahon, who were preparing to descend the river Ohio, 
on a hunting tour. Having previously, by his labor, pro- 
cured a good rifle, he was willing to go on any expedi- 
tion that would take him farther from home. He joined 
this party, and assisted in making a canoe. This being 
completed, they embarked, and went down the stream 
15 



202 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

till they came to Fort Pitt, (now the city of Pittsburgh). 
At this place they met with an Indian trader, by the 
name of David Duncan, who informed the Mahons, that 
their father (whom the Indians had taken captive some 
time previous) was still alive, and where and how he 
could be found, and for what sum he could be ransomed. 
The two young Mahons immediately left the hunting 
party, and went in search of their father, to release him 
from captivity. To the mortification of Kenton, the hunt- 
ing tour was abandoned. 

As there was then a small garrison maintained at Fort 
Pitt, Kenton turned in to hunt for that garrison. At this 
place he first became acquainted with the notorious ren- 
egado, Simon Girty. Girty was a man of talents, had 
great influence in the garrison, and with the Indians, and 
showed Kenton all the kindness and attention that was 
in his power, and subsequently saved his life. 

In the fall of the year, he fell in with John S trader 
and George Yeager, who were going down the Ohio, on 
a hunting tour. Yeager had been raised by the Indians, 
and could talk several of their languages. He had pass- 
ed a part of his time on the south side of the river Ohio 
in the cane land in Kentucky. With these men our wan- 
derer agreed to proceed down the Ohio, he knew not 
and did not care whither. At that time a small trading 
establishment with the Indians was kept by one John 
Gibson, at a place called Log's Town, which was the 
only settlement of the whites below Pittsburgh. Here 
they halted a day or two. From thence they proceeded 
down the Ohio to the Mingo town, which is about sev- 
enty miles below Pittsburgh, and three miles below 
Steubenville. As it was a time of peace here, they frol- 
icked and danced with the young Indians. From thence 
they proceeded down the Ohio to a Delaware town, three 
miles below the mouth of the Little Kanawha. Here they 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 203 

passed a few days very agreeably, fishing, hunting, and 
dancing with the Indians. 

As none of these friendly Indians had been down the 
Ohio to the cane land, they could afford no intelligence 
on the subject ; and Yeager, when there, was young, and 
had gone either from Detroit, or past Vincennes, and did 
not know at what point he had crossed the Ohio. As the 
principal object of their expedition was to explore the 
cane country, and being ignorant at what point to land 
for this purpose, they descended the Ohio to near the 
mouth of Kentucky river, stopping occasionally, without 
finding any. It is a remarkable fact that, though there 
was abundance of cane in the country, it did not grow 
near the bank of the river any where above the mouth of 
Kentucky river. Being disappointed in the main object 
of their expedition, they commenced a retrograde move- 
ment, and proceeded leisurely up the Ohio. On their 
return, they examined Licking river, Locust, Bracken, 
Salt Lick, and Kinnikinnick creek, and Tiger and the 
Sandy rivers, without finding any cane. By this time, 
the winter season had commenced. They engaged in 
hunting, until they arrived at the mouth of the Big Kan- 
awha river, and thence up that river to the mouth of 
Elk river, where they built a camp, and remained for the 
winter. During the winter, they had good success in 
trapping. Beaver, otter, and other game were plenty. In 
the spring of 1772 they went down the Kanawha to 
the Ohio, where they met a French trader, to whom they 
sold their peltry, and procured ammunition, clothing and 
other articles necessary for hunters. 

The summer and fall of 1772 were spent by him and 
his two companions in roaming and hunting along the 
Ohio, between Big Kanawha and Big Sandy rivers. He 
describes this as the most happy season of his life. They 
were blessed with health, found plenty of game and fish ; 
and free from the cares of the ambitious world, and the 



204 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

vexations of domestic life, they passed their time in that 
happy state of ease, indolence, and independence, which 
is the glory of the hunter of the forest. Late in the fall, 
they returned to their old camp on the Big Kanawha, 
and spent the winter in hunting and trapping. 

About this time the clouds of the American revolution 
began to appear, and many of the Indians espoused the 
cause of the mother country, and commenced their depre- 
dations upon the frontier settlements. In the month of 
March, 1773, as Kenton and his companions were lol- 
ling about their camp, in the dusk of the evening, not 
thinking of danger, a party of Indians fired upon them, 
and killed Yeager. Strader and Kenton fled, with only 
their lives and their shirts ; and in this naked and help- 
less condition, they wandered for six days and nights, 
without fire or food. It will be recollected, that the 
month of March affords none of the casual subsistence of 
nuts, berries, or pawpaws, that may be found in the for- 
est at other seasons ; consequently, they were entirely 
without sustenance. Add to this, their barefooted and 
naked condition, exposed day and night, to the bleak 
winds, and " the peltings of the pitiless storms," compel- 
led to travel through briars, and over rough stones and 
frozen ground, and we have a scene of sufferings that 
baffles description. Their legs and bodies became lace- 
rated and torn, and their feet cut, bruised, and inflamed 
to such a degree, that they were more than two days in 
traveling the last six miles. It seems almost a miracle, 
that they did not sink in despair, and put an end to their 
miserable existence. But such is the love of life implant- 
ed in our nature, that we cling to it under the most 
gloomy and appalling circumstances. 

" Hope, like the glimmering taper's light, 

Adorns and cheers the way ; 
And still, as darker grows the night, 

Emits a brighter ray." 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 205 

Protected by the guardian care of a merciful Provi- 
dence, and still hoping for relief, they reached, on the 
sixth day a point on the Ohio river, within six miles of 
the mouth of the Kanawha, where, to their great joy, 
they met with Joel Rease, Jacob Greathouse, William 
Grills, and the two Mahans, who were of the party, it 
will be recollected, with which Kenton first united on 
Cheat river. They had returned from searching for their 
father, and were now descending the Ohio, with a view 
of exploring the country bordering upon it. When they 
came in view of the camp of these men, Strader was so 
exhausted, that it seemed impossible for him to travel an- 
other mile, and Kenton was not in much better condi- 
tion. Friendship and hospitality were, at that time, uni- 
versal among western adventurers : consequently, Kenton 
and his companion were received with much kindness, 
and had their wants supplied, and their sufferings allevi- 
ated as far as circumstances would admit. 

Under this treatment, their strength returned, and their 
spirits revived, and uniting with the party upon which 
they had so fortunately fallen, they began to think of 
new adventures. After deliberating some time, it was 
concluded to return up the Ohio, till Kenton and Strader 
should meet with some opportunity of supplying them- 
selves with arms, to enable them the better to meet the 
danger with which they were threatened by the hostile 
Indians. The whole party then ascended to the mouth 
of the Little Kanawha, where they found a Dr. Briscoe, 
who was attempting to make a settlement at that place. 
The doctor was a man of wealth, and had a number of 
slaves and some white persons with him. While the rest 
of his party proceeded higher up the river, Kenton bought 
a rifle, and hired himself as a hunter for Briscoe, till he 
should pay for it. About this time, settlements were 
commenced on the Ohio, at Wheeling, Grave creek, and 
at the head of the Long Reach. 



206 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

By the time Kenton had paid for his rifle, and procur- 
ed a few other necessary articles, Michael Tyger, and 
some others, from Virginia, came down the river, on their 
way to the country below. With them Kenton united, 
and proceeded to the mouth of Scioto, where they halted, 
to wait the arrival of Captain Bullit, who had promised 
to join them at that place. After waiting some time, and 
seeing nothing of Bullit, who had, probably, passed them 
in the night, or in a thick fog, they left the Scioto, and 
returned up the river, surveying, and making tomahawk 
improvements, as far as the mouth of Big Sandy. At 
Big Sandy they were overtaken by some men, who in- 
formed them that Bullit had gone down, and was lying 
at the mouth of the Big Miami, at a place they called 
Bullitsburgh ; that they had gone out with him, and were 
then on their return. Tyger and his party immediately 
turned, and proceeded to the place designated, but found 
Bullit' s camp vacated, and could gain no intelligence con- 
cerning him. Concluding that Bullit and his party had 
been killed or taken by the Indians, and apprehending a 
similar fate to await themselves, they became alarmed, 
and commenced an immediate retreat. Halting opposite 
the Three Islands, they called a council, whose deliber- 
ations pronounced it hazardous to attempt a return by 
water. Hence, they destroyed their canoes, and with 
Kenton as a pilot, took up the line of march through the 
wilderness, for the settlements on Green Briar, where 
they arrived in safety, after a fatiguing journey, over 
mountains, across rivers, and through thickets, where the 
foot of civilized man had never before trod. Thus, was 
the first trip from Kentucky to Virginia, by land, per- 
formed under the guidance of our young adventurer. 

At Green Briar, Kenton left the party, and again di- 
rected his steps towards the Monongahela country, where 
he met William Grills and Jacob Greathouse, two of his 
former companions, who were subsequently joined by 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 207 

Samuel Cartwright and Joseph Lock. Casting in his lot 
with these, Kenton prepared once more to descend the 
Ohio, and winter in the wilderness. Having provided 
themselves with the necessary articles for the excursion, 
the party embarked and descended to the mouth of Big 
Sandy, where they continued to hunt and trap till the 
next spring. This spring, 1774, an Indian war appear- 
ed inevitable. The Indians had robbed some, and killed 
others, and continued to manifest so much insolence, that 
the hunters and traders took the alarm, and retreated to 
Fort Pitt. Kenton's party sold the proceeds of their 
winter's hunt, to a French trader, and following the ex- 
ample of others, ascended the Ohio. All the settlements 
which had commenced the previous year, were now 
evacuated. Some of the adventurers took shelter at a 
place called Thomas's Fort, at the mouth of Ten-mile 
creek ; others, at Fort Pitt ; so that no settlement remain- 
ed on the Ohio, below the latter place. 

Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, early this spring, 
raised an army, to proceed to the Indian country, and 
chastise the aggressors. Kenton entered the army, and 
was employed as a spy, to go in front and save the troops 
from the snares and ambuscades of the enemy ; a service 
which requires steady nerve, and cool, deliberate cou- 
rage. For this service Kenton was well qualified, and 
acquitted himself with credit. The army moved through 
the wilderness, crossed the Ohio at the mouth of Hock- 
hocking, and cautiously proceeded to the Pickaway towns, 
on the Scioto river. On approaching these towns, they 
were met by a flag from the Indians, who sued for peace. 
A treaty for the restoration of peace was entered into, 
the troops returned, and were disbanded, and Kenton, 
with a detachment of the army, proceeded to Fort Pitt, 
which was then under the command of Major Conley. 
But the army had scarcely returned, before the Indians 
began again to harass the frontiers, and hence another 



208 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

expedition was determined upon. The Virginia troops, 
commanded by Colonel Lewis,' were to come down the 
Big Kanawha to its mouth, and there to remain till they 
were reinforced. At the time Colonel Lewis was ex- 
pected at that place, Major Conley sent Mr. Kenton and 
two others with an express to him. Arriving at the 
mouth of Kanawha, and not rinding Colonel Lewis, they 
concealed their despatch in a hollow tree, and commen- 
ced amusing themselves by strolling about this delightful 
point. Here they were surprised and fired upon by a 
party of Indians, which caused their separation. His 
comrades got together and returned to Fort Pitt, while 
Kenton, alone, pushed his way to Louder's fort, on the 
west fork of the Monongahela. Captain Louder, not be- 
lieving the account Kenton gave of himself, had him ar- 
rested on the suspicion of his being a spy from the Indians, 
and confined him till he should hear from Major Conley, 
to whom he sent an express. When the messenger re- 
turned, Kenton, of course, was set at liberty, who imme- 
diately returned to Fort Pitt, received pay for his ser- 
vices, and was discharged from the army. 

Being now out of employment, and the proper season 
for hunting having come, he, in company with a young 
man by the name of Thomas Williams, prepared a 
canoe, and, armed and equipped for the winter, they de- 
scended the Ohio to the mouth of Big Sandy, and thence 
up that river some distance, where they formed their 
camp. Here they remained during the winter, and had 
good success in hunting. Leaving this place early in the 
following spring, 1775, and proceeding down the Ohio, 
they met a French trader, who purchased their skins and 
furnished them with such things as they needed, to enable 
them to prosecute their search for the cane country. — * 
Passing down the river, they happened to land for the 
night, at the mouth of a small creek, near the place after- 
wards known by the name of Limestone. The next 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 209 

morning, Kenton shouldered his rifle, and went back into 
the hills to look for game. After traveling two or three 
miles, to his great joy, he found abundance of cane grow- 
ing upon the richest land he had ever seen. With this 
intelligence, he returned to his companion ; when they 
sunk their canoe, gathered up their little property, and 
proceeded out into the cane lands. Finding a spring of 
good water, they made themselves a comfortable camp, 
and with their tomahawks commenced clearing a small 
piece of ground. Their clearing was finished some time 
in May, and from the remains of some corn which they 
had got from the French trader, for the purpose of parch- 
ing, they obtained seed, and planted, perhaps, the first 
corn that was ever planted in that country on the north 
side of the Kentucky river. Here, tending their corn 
with their tomahawks, they remained the undisputed 
masters of all they could see, and enjoying as much hap- 
piness as circumstances would admit of, till they had the 
pleasure of eating roasting ears, and of seeing their corn 
come to perfection. This place, which was called Ken- 
ton's station, was about one mile from where the town 
of Washington, in Mason county, Kentucky, now stands. 
When autumn came, and the leaves began to fall, Ken- 
ton concluded to take a ramble to the south, and see the 
extent of his rich domain. Leaving the camp in the care 
of Williams, he took a southern direction, and after trav- 
eling ten or twelve miles, came across some large buf- 
faloe roads, and pursuing one of them, was brought, in a 
few hours, to a salt lick, on Licking river — afterward, 
from the color of the water, called the Bluelick. This place, 
now known by the name of the Lower Bluelick, is in 
sight of where the Lexington and Maysville turnpike 
crosses Licking. Here, where for ages the wild beasts 
of the forest had been in the habit of resorting, Kenton 
killed a buffaloe, and taking a piece of it to prepare for 
his supper, encamped on the bank of the river, and spent 



210 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the night, or so much of it as was redeemed from sleep, 
in a train of the most pleasing reflections and anticipa- 
tions. The land appeared to be a paradise. Abundance 
of salt was now added to an unparalleled fertility of soil, 
in a country abounding with every variety of game. The 
hunter could ask for no more — his every wish appeared 
to be realized. 

In the morning, he was so occupied in contemplating 
the visions of bliss that in future prospect danced before his 
imagination, that it was mid-day before he left his camp, 
and on approaching the lick, he was much surprised to 
find a white man standing by it. Knowing that many 
white men lived with the Indians, and were no less sav- 
age than they, he at first hesitated, but finally marched 
up to him, prepared to meet a friend or to encounter an 
enemy. On saluting the stranger, he found that he had 
nothing to fear, and learned, for the first time, that he 
and Williams were not the only inhabitants of Kentucky. 
This man's name was Michael Stoner ; he had come out 
with Daniel Boon the year before ; had left Boon's 
station to explore and examine the country, and fallng 
into a bufTaloe road, had followed it to the lick. Stoner 
informed him, that there were several settlements com- 
menced that season near the Kentucky river, and advised 
him to leave his present camp, and join with one of them. 
As Kenton relished this advice, Stoner accompanied him 
to his camp, where they tarried one night ; then gathered 
up their little property, and bidding adieu to their corn 
patch, Kenton and Williams took up the line of march, 
with Stoner, for the south. 

The settlements referred to above, are the following : 
The first in order of time, was that of Daniel Boon, 
now known by the name of Boonsborough, on the Ken- 
tucky river ; which was followed by the station of Cap- 
tain Harrod, now Harrodsburgh, on the south side of 
Kentucky river, and ten miles from it ; and on the north 




[Face 211.] 



Boon the Hunter. 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 211 

side were M'Clelland's settlement, where Georgetown 
now stands ; Huston's, on the present site of Paris, and 
Hingston's, afterwards called Ruddle's station. The last 
two were situated within seven miles of each other, in 
the bounds of the present county of Bourbon. The in- 
habitants of these embryo settlements were principally 
from North Carolina, and had been led to the country by 
Colonel Boon. 

After visiting and examining all the settlements, Ken- 
ton united with Hingston's party, where he spent the win- 
er, about forty miles distant from his late residence and 
'jom-patch. This year, and throughout the winter, the 
Indians remained quiet; but early in the spring of 1776, 
.he scene was changed. The American revolution was 
.hen in full progress, and the Indians, stimulated by the 
British, seemed resolved to break up the infant settle- 
ments of Kentucky. Consequently every station was 
attacked, and few, if any, escaped without the loss of 
some of their men. The survivors were alarmed, and re- 
solved to seek security by uniting their forces. Huston's 
station being more exposed than the others, was the first 
to break up. They took shelter with Captain M'Clel- 
land ; and numbers from Hingston, following their exam- 
ple, it was reduced to about ten men, among whom was 
Kenton — the first to advance, and the last to retreat. But 
the Indians still continuing to harass them, by killing 
their cattle and stealing their horses, they also concluded 
to abandon their fort, and fly to M'Clelland's. 

Kentucky, lying within the chartered limits of Vir- 
ginia, her settlements about this time attracted the atten- 
tion of that state, and Major (afterwards General) Georire 
Clark, and a lawyer by the name of Jones, were sent 
from Wheeling with five hundred pounds of powder and 
lead in proportion. They concealed the ammunition on 
the lower of the Three Islands, and came through the 
woods to M'Clelland's fort. As ammunition was grow- 



212 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ing scarce, the intelligence of these time 
municated much joy to the inhabitants, and tended to re- 
give their drooping spirits. Concluding they could not 
spare from the fort as many men as would be necessary 
to insure a safe conveyance of the ammunition, Maj. Clark 
and Kenton set off for Harrod's fort to procure assistance. 
But so soon as they were gone, Mr. Jones imprudently 
prevailed on ten men to go with him to the place where 
the ammunition had been left. This was a rash step, and 
severely did they pay for it. On the way they were met 
by a body of Indians, under the command of a celebrated 
chief called Pluggy ; a battle ensued, and the whites were 
defeated. Jones and William Gradon were killed, and 
Joseph Rodgers and Josiah Dickson taken prisoners. 
This happened on christmas day, 1776. When Clark 
and Kenton returned, they had the mortification to meet 
the remnant of their defeated friends. And though they 
were much in need of the ammunition, this unfortunate 
circumstance frustrated for the present the intended expe- 
dition, and the party from Harrod's fort immediately re- 
turned. 

On the morning of the first day of the year, 1777, 
Pluggy with a few of his party came in sight of the fort. 
McClelland and several of his men rushed forth to give 
them battle, but were defeated. Capt. McClelland and 
two ethers were slain, and four wounded. After this the 
Indians directed their march homeward ; and Kenton and 
Bates Collier cautiously pursued their trail to the place 
where they had crossed the Ohio, near the present city 
of Maysville ; when finding that the Indians had left the 
country, they went up to the place where the ammuni- 
tion was deposited, found it safe, and then returned to the 
fort. About thirty men were then raised, who proceeded 
to the Three Islands, and brought off the ammunition 
without molestation. 

When Kenton and his party returned to the fort with 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 213 

ihe ammunition, they found every thing in gloom. Panic 
struck, the occupants had resolved to abandon the settle- 
ment ; and soon the whole party, men, women, and chil- 
dren, moved in a body to Harrod's fort. This removal 
is represented by Kenton as the most affecting sight 
he ever witnessed. The hardy hunters were evidently 
alarmed ; despair sat brooding on the countenance of 
every female ; and the children having caught the infec- 
tion, vented their terrors in wailing cries, which alto- 
gether formed a scene that might have excited the sym- 
pathy of even a savage heart. All the settlements in 
Kentucky, except Boon's and Harrod's, were given up ; 
and at this critical period the first legal officers were ap- 
pointed in the country. A commission arrived from Vir- 
ginia, giving the command to Maj. George Clark, with 
authority to appoint his inferior officers. Consequently, 
Boon and Harrod, and soon afterwards Logan, were rais- 
ed to the office of captain. 

By the time the spring arrived, the settlers were so 
much in need of clothing, that Kenton, John Haggin, and 
four others, started for Hingston's, to break-out some 
flax and hemp which had been left at that place. On ap- 
proaching the station, Haggin, riding some distance be- 
fore the rest, discovered a party of Indians encamped 
around the block-house. With this information, he re- 
turned to his companions. Kenton proposed a retreat, 
but Haggin rejected the proposal with indignation, and 
in an insolent tone pronounced that no one but a coward 
would think of retreating without giving the Indians a 
fire. To this Kenton replied, that it was not a time for 
qmrreling, that he was ready to prove by his works, a 
willingness to go as far, and fire as free as any man. 
The whole party, except a young Dutchman who had 
sat on his horse listening to the dispute, then dismounted 
and tied their horses. But it seems that the Indians had 
observed Haggin when he approached the fort, and cau- 



214 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tiously pursued him as he retreated ; for scarcely had the 
party dismounted, when a column of Indians appeared in 
front, and another party, which had nearly surrounded 
them, commenced a distant and scattering fire through 
the brush. As further delay would have brought certain 
destruction, they instantly fled on foot, and thus escaped 
with their lives, but lost all their horses except the one 
occupied by the Dutchman. This was early in March, 
1777. 

When this party left Harrod's fort, Maj. Clark had di- 
rected Kenton so soon as the flax and hemp should be 
dressed, to take two men and pursue a circuitous route 
through the country to Boon's station. But on com- 
mencing their retreat from Hingston, every appearance 
induced the conclusion that a large body of Indians were 
on the march to attack Harrod's fort ; Kenton therefore 
determined to go to Boon's alone, while the others should 
return and apprise Capt. Harrod of his danger, and aid 
in defending that place, should it be assaulted. Ken- 
ton arrived undiscovered by the enemy, in the neighbor- 
hood of BoonsborOugh ; but knowing that the Indians 
were apt to lie concealed around the forts, for the pur- 
pose of destroying those who might attempt to pass to or 
from them, he concluded not to approach till after dark. 
After lying by for two or three hours, he grew impatient, 
left his retreat, and approached the fort, and the first 
thing he saw was the men of the fort carrying in the 
bodies of two men whom the Indians had shot an hour 
or two before. These men had been killed on the very 
route that Kenton came, and hence it is certain that the 
pause he had made, had saved his life. 

The rest of the party, upon their retreat from Hink- 
ston, made a rapid march for Harrod's fort, and arrived 
in time to warn the garrison and prepare it for the pre- 
meditated attack. Indeed, it appears that the Indians 
knowing they could not take the place by surprise, now 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 215 

their plans were discovered, moved so leisurely as to giye 
Maj. Clark sufficient time to prepare for defence. Find- 
ing in their march a few whites at a place called Shaw- 
nee Spring, the Indians fired upon them, killed some, 
and took one prisoner ; but the rest, by flying to the fort, 
gave additional evidence of the approach of the enemy ; 
so that when the garrison on the next morning was at- 
tacked, it was fully prepared for a vigorous and obstinate 
defence. The siege continued several days and nights ; 
and though the Indians succeeded in reducing the num- 
ber of their opponents, they also lost many of their own 
men, and at last withdrew in despair. 

Previous to this attack Benjamin Logan had been pre- 
paring to make a settlement near the place where Lin- 
coln court-house now stands, and soon as the enemy re- 
treated, he, with a number of others, left Harrod's and 
proceeded to the new settlement, which formed the third 
post at that time occupied in the country. ' These settle- 
ments, notwithstanding the dangers to which they were 
continually exposed, were constantly gaining strength by 
emigrants, through the wilderness, from Virginia and 
North Carolina. 

But the Indians still continuing troublesome, each of 
the stations agreed to furnish two spies, to be selected by 
their captains, and Maj. Clark pledged the faith of Vir- 
ginia for their payment. This arrangement was carried 
into effect by the appointment of Simon Kenton and 
Thomas Brooks, on the part of Boon ; Samuel Moore 
and Bates Collier, by Harrod ; and John Conrad and 
John Martin, by Logan. Thus selected, and having 
their routes and mode of operation left to their own dis- 
cretion, these choice spirits were constantly on the alert, 
and by a faithful discharge of their arduous duties proved 
themselves worthy of the confidence reposed in them. 
During the summer their constant weekly practice was 
for two of them to visit the deserted stations of McClel- 
16 



216 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

land, Hinkston, and Huston, from thence by the Upper 
and Lower Bluelicks, and to the Three Islands on the 
Ohio, thence down to the mouth of Licking, and then 
back to the stations. By this vigilance they were always 
able, except in one instance, to give the forts timely no- 
tice of the approach of the enemy. During the summer 
three different attacks were made upon Boonsborough. 
The first came upon them unexpected, and in the follow- 
ing manner: Early one morning Kenton and two others 
having loaded their guns for a hunt, were standing at the 
gate, when two men who had gone into a field in sight 
of the fort to drive in some horses, were fired upon by 
four or five Indians. Not being wounded, they fled, and 
were pursued to within sixty or seventy yards of the 
fort, where an Indian overtook one of them, killed him 
with his tomahawk, and commenced the operation of 
taking off his scalp. But by this time Kenton was within 
a few yards of the spot, and shot the Indian down ; and 
then in company with his hunting companions, gave 
chase to the others, and pursued them into the edge of 
the field. In the meantime Boon having heard the re- 
port of guns, had taken ten men and come forth to their 
assistance. As these were advancing from the fort, Ken- 
ton casting his eye to the left, discovered an Indian about 
to fire upon them ; but Kenton shot first, and the savage 
sunk to rise no more. By the time his gun was reloaded, 
and Boon had come up, they heard a rush of footsteps 
upon their left, and discovered that a number of Indians 
had got between them and the gate. Their situation was 
now perilous in the extreme. But desperate diseases re- 
quire desperate remedies : Boon, therefore, gave orders 
to charge through the Indian column, which was done by 
first firing their rifles upon the enemy, and then beating 
down all that stood in their way. But this attempt, 
though it proved successful, had like to have cost the 
life of their leader. Boon received a ball through the 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 217 

leg, which broke the bone, and left him on the ground ; 
but when the tomahawk was uplifted to dispatch the fallen 
captain, Kenton came to his rescue, discharged the con- 
tents of his gun through the body of the Indian, and con- 
veyed his leader safe into the fort. Of the fourteen men 
engaged in this affray, seven were wounded but none 
killed. After they had got in, and the gate was closed, 
Boon sent for Kenton, and said, " Well, Simon, you have 
behaved like a man to-day. Indeed you are a fine fel- 
low." This simple eulogium was probably as gratifying 
to Kenton as any thing could have been ; and certainly 
the circumstances that called it forth were more praise- 
worthy than many acts that have crowned their perform- 
ers with fame and titles of honor. The Indians contin- 
ued around the fort two or three days, and then with- 
drew. 

As has been intimated, this fort sustained two other at- 
tacks during the year. On both occasions Kenton was 
in the fort, and at his post ; and though they were ap- 
prised of the approach of the enemy, and consequently 
better prepared for the assault, yet their sufferings were 
great. Their cattle was killed, their horses stolen, and 
their situation so precarious that neither corn nor other 
vegetables could be cultivated. Meat they must have or 
perish, and this was procured at the risk and even the 
loss of many lives. To obtain this, the custom of the 
hunters was to steal out in the dark, and go to the dis- 
tance of twelve or fifteen miles from the fort ; then after 
killing their meat and drying it over a fire, to load them- 
selves with as much as they could carry, and approach as 
near the fort as they could in safety by day, then when 
night came to creep cautiously to the wall, give a signal 
and be admitted. In this hazardous employment many 
lives were sacrificed, but it was the only means of pre- 
serving their existence. And even this afforded but 
scanty subsistence ; for they were sometimes in want 



218 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

and always compelled to eat their meat without either 
bread or salt. Kenton was employed as a spy till the 
close of the year 1777. 

In 1778, Capt. Watkins, with a few men, was sent 
from Virginia to aid in the defence of Kentucky, and was 
stationed at Boon's fort. It was agreed between Boon 
and Watkins that they would go alternately to the Blue- 
lick, and make salt for the settlements. Boon went first, 
and fell to work with about thirty men ; who while thus 
employed were dependent upon game from the woods 
for their support. One day Boon having gone out to 
hunt, was surprised and taken prisoner by a party of In- 
dians under the command of a chief by the name of Black 
Fish. As the Indians were several hundred in number. 
Boon capitulated for his men at the lick, who were all 
taken but Thomas Brooks and another, who were out on 
a hunting excursion. Brooks and his companion, hav- 
ing thus escaped, fled for Boon's station, with the dole- 
ful tidings ; and on their way met Capt. Watkins pro- 
ceeding to the lick, who immediately returned to the fort, 
and the salt scheme was abandoned. Kenton, Haggin, 
and a few others, anxious for their captured friends, start- 
ed for the lick, found the Indian trail, and cautiously fol- 
lowed it to where they had crossed the Ohio, some dis- 
tance above the mouth of Licking, and then returned to 
the station. At this time Kenton resumed his occupation 
of ranging the country as a spy. 

In the course of the preceding winter, Maj. Clark had 
gone to Virginia to solicit aid in defence of the country ; 
and having obtained a few men, he descended the Ohio 
about the first of June, and encamped on an island at the 
falls. From thence he dispatched messengers to Boon's 
and Harrod's stations for as many men as could be spar- 
ed, to join him in an expedition against the British set- 
tlements on the Mississippi, This, with those who had 
families in the forts, was an unpopular movement. They 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 219 

were of opinion that no man ought to leave them ; and 
consequently Kenton and Haggin were all that did go. 
Clark was mortified at receiving so small a reinforce- 
ment ; but hearing that Capt. Montgomery, with a party 
of men, was making salt at Drenning's lick, he sent Ken- 
ton to solicit aid from him. Montgomery was an Irish- 
man, " full of fight," and immediately with his whole 
party, ten or twelve men, proceeded to the falls. Clark's 
force now amounted to one hundred and fifty-three men ; 
and seeing no prospect of increasing it, he left his camp 
and moved down the Ohio. What a handful of men for 
an expedition so hazardous. Landing at a place called 
Cherokee fort, below the mouth of Tennessee, they sunk 
their boats, and taking their baggage, provisions, and 
camp equipage upon their backs, marched through the 
wilderness one hundred and twenty miles, to Okaw, or 
Kaskaskia. This town and fort, commanded by one 
who was called the Governor, Clark determined to take 
by surprise. The first object was to get possession of 
the fort, and then he concluded the town would make no 
resistance. The hour of midnight was chosen for the at- 
tack. On approaching the fort they saw a light in a 
small house near it, and a few men were sent to surround 
it. They found it occupied by a Pennsylvanian, who 
disliked the French and was ready to aid in taking the 
place. He informed them that the fort kept no sentinels, 
and led the way to a place where the pickets were so 
rotten as to be easily broken down. Here the whole 
party entered, and being shown the Governor's room, 
Kenton and a few others went into it, and gently waked 
him out of a sound sleep. Resistance being then use- 
less, he at once surrendered himself and his sleeping 
comrades, prisoners of war. This conquest, effected 
without the aid of artillery, wagon, or horse, was main- 
tained to the close of the revolutionary struggle, and was 
of much advantage to our infant settlements in the west. 



220 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

A few days after the surrender of this place, Kenton 
and a few others were dispatched with an express to Col. 
Bowman, who then commanded at Harrodsburg. He 
was directed to take Vincennes in his way, and endeavor 
to ascertain whether it could be easily taken ; also, to 
destroy his papers, and trust to his memory for their con- 
tents, if he should be likely to fall into the hands of the 
enemy. Approaching Vincennes, he tore up his papers, 
and lying concealed by day and reconnoitering at night, 
continued round the town for three days. Having thus 
satisfied himself of the strength and situation of the place, 
he sent one of his companions with the intelligence back 
to Clark, while he and the other prosecuted their jour- 
ney, and arrived at Harrodsburgh in thirteen days. 

By this time Boon had made his escape from the In- 
dians, and on Kenton's return he proposed to him to join 
in an expedition against a small Indian town on Paint 
creek. The proposal was accepted, and taking nineteen 
men, they set off for the town. When they had ap- 
proached within five or six miles of the place, they were 
met by about forty Indians, whom they attacked and put 
to flight without receiving any injury. Knowing now 
that the Indians were aware of their approach, and con- 
sequently that the town could not be taken by surprise, 
Boon thought it advisable to return. But Kenton and 
another man by the name of Montgomery determined to 
remain, and learn something more of the Indians, and if 
possible, secure some of their horses. Hence, conceal- 
ing themselves near the path leading from the town, they 
watched the whole day without discovering any Indians ; 
and when night came they approached the town, but 
could not discover that the Indians were at all alarmed at 
the affray of the morning. The next day they lay con- 
cealed near a cornfield, but saw no Indians except some 
children that did not approach near enough to discover 
them. On the second night they caught two horses and 






GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 221 

made a start for home. Discovering, after crossing the 
Ohio, a large Indian trail leading in the direction of 
Boonsborough, they turned their course and went to Lo- 
gan's. They afterwards learned that the Indians whose 
trail they had seen, were at that time besieging Boon. 
This siege they kept up for several days ; but after kill- 
ing one white man and a negro, and suffering considera- 
ble loss themselves, they retired in despair ; and on the 
next day Kenton and Montgomery rode into the fort upon 
their Indian horses. 

Kenton lay about Boon's and Logan's stations till ease 
became irksome to him. About the first of September 
of this same year, 1778, we find him preparing for an- 
other Indian expedition. Alexander Montgomery and 
George Clark joined him, and they set off from Boon's 
station for the avowed purpose of obtaining horses from 
the Indians. They crossed the Ohio, and proceeded 
cautiously to Chillicothe (now Oldtown.) They arrived 
at the town without meeting any adventure. In the night 
they fell in with a drove of horses that were feeding in 
the rich prairies. They were prepared with salt and 
halters. They had much difficulty to catch the horses ; 
however, at length they succeeded, and as soon as the 
horses were haltered, they dashed off with seven — a 
pretty good haul. They traveled with all the speed they 
could to the Ohio. They came to the Ohio near the 
mouth of Eagle creek, now in Brown county. When 
they came to the river, the wind blew almost a hurri- 
cane. The waves ran so high that the horses were fright- 
ened, and could not be induced to take the water. It 
was late in the evening. They then rode back into the 
hills some distance from the river, hobbled and turned 
their horses loose to graze ; while they turned back some 
distance, and watched the trail they had come, to dis- 
cover whether or no they were pursued. Here they re- 
mained till the following day, when the wind subsided. 



222 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

As soon as the wind fell they caught their horses, and 
went again to the river ; but their horses were so fright- 
ened with the waves the day before, that all their efforts 
could not induce them to take the water. This was a 
sore disappointment to our adventurers. They were 
satisfied that they were pursued by the enemy ; they 
therefore determined to lose no more time in useless ef- 
forts to cross the Ohio ; they concluded to select three of 
the best horses, and make their way to the falls of the 
Ohio, where Gen. Clark had left some men stationed. 
Each made choice of a horse, and the other horses were 
turned loose to shift for themselves. After the spare 
horses had been loosed, and permitted to ramble off, ava- 
rice whispered to them, and why not take all the horses. 
The loose horses had by this time scattered and strag- 
gled out of sight. Our party now separated to hunt up 
the horses they had turned loose. Kenton went towards 
the river, and had not gone far before he heard a whoop 
in the direction of where they had been trying to force 
the horses into the water. He got off his horse and tied 
him, and then crept with the stealthy tread of the cat, 
to make observations in the direction he had heard the 
whoop. Just as he reached the high bank of the river, 
he met the Indians on horseback. Being unperceived 
by them, but so nigh that it was impossible for him to re- 
treat without being discovered, he concluded the boldest 
course to be the safest, and very deliberately took aim at 
the foremost Indian. His gun flashed in the pan. He 
then retreated. The Indians pursued on horseback. In 
his retreat, he passed through a piece of land where a 
storm had torn up a great part of the timber. The fallen 
trees afforded him some advantage of the Indians in the 
race, as they were on horseback and he on foot. The 
Indian force divided ; some rode on one side of the fallen 
timber, and some on the other. Just as he emerged from 
the fallen timber, at the foot of the hill, one of the Indians 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 223 

met him on horseback, and boldly rode up to him, jump- 
ed off his horse and rushed at him with his tomahawk. 
Kenton concluding a gun-barrel as good a weapon of de- 
fence as a tomahawk, drew back his gun to strike the In- 
dian before him. At that instant another Indian, who 
unperceived by Kenton had slipped up behind him, 
clasped him in his arms. Being now overpowered by 
numbers, further resistance was useless — he surrendered. 
Whilst the Indians were binding Kenton with tugs, 
Montgomery came in view, and fired at the Indians, but 
missed his mark. Montgomery fled on foot. Some of 
the Indians pursued, shot at, and missed him ; a second 
fire was made, and Montgomery fell. The Indians soon 
returned to Kenton, shaking at him Montgomery's bloody 
scalp. George Clark, Kenton's other companion, made 
his escape, crossed the Ohio, and arrived safe at Logan's 
station. 

The Indians encamped that night on the bank of the 
Ohio. The next morning they prepared their horses for 
a return to their towns with the unfortunate and unhappy 
prisoner. Nothing but death in the most appalling form 
presented itself to his view. When they were ready to 
set off, they caught the wildest horse in the company, 
and placed Kenton on his back. The horse being very 
restif, it took several of them to hold him, whilst the 
others lashed the prisoner on the horse. They first took 
a tug, or rope, and fastened his legs and feet together un- 
der the horse. They took another and fastened his arms. 
They took another and tied around his neck, and fasten- 
ed one end of it around the horse's neck ; the other end 
of this same rope was fastened to the horse's tail, to an- 
swer in place of a crupper. They had a great deal of 
amusement to themselves, as they were preparing Ken- 
ton and his horse for fun and frolic. They would yelp 
and scream around him, and ask him if he wished to steal 
more horses. Another rope was fastened around his 



224 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

thighs, and lashed around the body of the horse ; a pair 
of moccasons was drawn over his hands, to prevent him 
from defending his face from the brush. Thus accoutered 
and fastened, the horse was turned loose to the woods. 
He reared and plunged, ran through the woods for some 
time, to the infinite amusement of the Indians. After 
the horse had run about, plunging, rearing, and kicking, 
for some time, and found that he could not shake off, nor 
kick off his rider, he very quietly submitted himself to 
his situation, and followed the cavalcade as quiet and 
peaceable as his rider. The Indians moved towards 
Chillicothe, and in three days reached the town. At 
night they confined their prisoner in the following man- 
ner: He was laid on his back, his legs extended, drawn 
apart, and fastened to two saplings or stakes driven in 
the ground. His arms were extended, a pole laid across 
his breast, and his arm lashed to the pole with cords. 
A rope was tied around his neck, and stretched back just 
tight enough not to choke him, and fastened to a tree or 
stake near his head. In this painful and uncomfortable 
situation, he spent three miserable nights, exposed to 
gnats, and musketoes, and weather. O, '^oor human na- 
ture, what miserable wretches we are, thus to punish and 
harass each other. (The frontier whites of that day, 
were but little behind the Indians, in wiles, in cruelty, 
and revenge.) When the Indians came within about a 
mile of the Chillicothe town, they halted and camped for 
the night, and fastened the poor unfortunate prisoner in 
the usual uncomfortable manner. The Indians, young 
and old, came from the town to welcome the return of 
their successful warriors, and to visit their prisoner. The 
Indian party, young and old, consisting of about one hun- 
dred and fifty, commenced dancing, singing, and yelling 
around Kenton, stopping occasionally and kicking and 
beating him for amusement. In this manner they tor- 
mented him for about three hours, when the cavalcade 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 225 

returned to town, and he was left for the rest of the night, 
exhausted and forlorn, to the tender mercies of the gnats 
and musketoes. As soon as it was light in the morning, 
the Indians began to collect from the town, and prepara- 
tions were made for fun and frolic at the expense of Ken- 
ton, as he was now doomed to run the gauntlet. The 
Indians were formed in two lines, about six feet apart, 
with each a hickory in his hands, and Kenton placed be- 
tween the two lines, so that each Indian could beat him 
as much as he thought proper, as he ran through the 
line?. He had not ran far before he discovered an In- 
dian with his knife drawn to plunge it into him ; as soon 
as Kenton reached that part of the line where the Indian 
stood who had the knife drawn, he broke through the 
lines, and made with all speed for the town. Kenton 
had been previously informed by a negro named Caesar, 
who lived with the Indians and knew their customs, that 
if he could break through the Indians' lines, and arrive 
at the council-house in the town before he was overta- 
ken, that they would not force him a second time to run 
the gauntlet. When he broke through their lines, he ran 
at the top of his speed for the council-house, pursued by 
two or three hundred Indians, yelling and screaming like 
infernal furies. Just as he had entered the town, he was 
met by an Indian leisurely walking towards the scene of 
amusement, wrapped in a blanket. The Indian threw 
off his blanket ; and as he was fresh, and Kenton nearly 
exhausted, the Indian soon caught him, threw him down. 
In a moment the whole party who were in pursuit came up, 
and fell to cuffing and kicking him at a most fearful rate. 
They tore off all his clothes, and left him naked and ex- 
hausted. After he had laid till he had in some degree 
recovered from his exhausted state, they brought him 
some water and something to eat. As soon as his 
strength was sufficiently recovered, they took him to the 
council-house, to determine upon his fate. Their man- 



226 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

ner of deciding his fate, was as follows : Their warriors 
were placed in a circle in the council-house ; an old chief 
was placed in tne center of the circle, with a knife and a 
piece of wood in his hands. A number of speeches were 
made. Kenton, although he did not understand their 
language, soon discovered by their animated gestures, 
and fierce looks at him, that a majority of their speakers 
were contending for his destruction. He could perceive 
that those who plead for mercy, were received coolly ; 
but few grunts of approbation were uttered when the 
orators closed their speeches. After the orators ceased 
speaking, the old chief who sat in the midst of the circle, 
raised up and handed a war-club to the man who sat next 
the door. They proceeded to take the decision of their 
court. All who were for the death of the prisoner, struck 
the war-club with violence against the ground ; those 
who voted to save the prisoner's life, passed the club to 
his next neighbor without striking the ground. Kenton, 
from their expressive gestures, could easily distinguish 
the object of their vote. The old chief who stood to 
witness and record the number that voted for death or 
mercy, as one struck the ground with the war-club, he 
made a mark on one side of his piece of wood ; and when 
the club was passed without striking, he made a mark 
on the other. Kenton discovered that a large majority 
were for death. 

Sentence of death being now passed upon the prisoner, 
they made the welkin ring with shouts of joy. The sen- 
tence of death being passed, there was another question 
of considerable difficulty now presented itself to the con- 
sideration of the council ; that was, the time and place, 
when and where, he should be burnt. The orators again 
made speeches on the snbject, less animated indeed than 
on the trial ; but some appeared to be quite vehement for 
instant execution, whilst others appeared to wish to make 
his death a solemn national sacrifice. After a long de- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 227 

bate, the vote was taken, when it was resolved that the 
place of his execution should be Wapatomika (now 
Zanesfield, Logan county.) The next morning he was 
hurried away to the place destined for his execution. 
From Chillicothe to Wapatomika, they had to pass 
through two other Indian towns, to wit : Pickaway and 
Machecheek. At both towns he was compelled to run the 
gauntlet ; and severely was he whipped through the course. 
While he lay at Machecheek, being carelessly guarded, 
he made an attempt to escape. Nothing worse than death 
could follow, and here he made a bold push for life and 
freedom. Being unconfined, he broke and run, and soon 
cleared himself out of sight of his pursuers. Whilst he 
distanced his pursuers, and got about two miles from the 
town, he accidentally met some Indians on horseback. 
They instantly pursued, and soon came up with him, and 
drove him back again to the town. He now, for the first 
time, gave up his case as hopeless. Nothing but death 
stared him in the face. Fate, it appeared to him, had sealed 
his doom ; and in sullen despair, he determined to await 
that doom , that it was impossible for him to shun. How in- 
scrutable are the ways of Providence, and how little can 
man control his destiny ! When the Indians returned with 
Kenton to the town, there was a general rejoicing. He 
was pinioned, and given over to the young Indians, who 
dragged him into the creek, tumbled him in the water, 
and rolled him in the mud, till he was nearly suffocated 
with mud and water. In this way they amused them- 
selves with him till he was nearly drowned. He now 
thought himself forsaken by God. Shortly after this his 
tormentors moved with him to Wapatomika. As soon 
as he arrived at this place, the Indians, young and old, 
male and female, crowded around the prisoner. Amongst 
others who came to see him, was the celebrated and no- 
torious Simon Girty. It will be recollected that Kenton 
and Girty were bosom companions at Fort Pitt, and on 



228 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the campaign with Lord Dunmore. As it was the cus- 
tom of the Indians to black such prisoners as were intend- 
ed to be put to death, Girty did not immediately recog- 
nize Kenton in his black disguise. Girty came forward 
and inquired of Kenton where he had lived. Was an- 
swered Kentucky. He next inquired how many men 
there were in Kentucky. He answered, he did not know ; 
but would give him the names and rank of the officers, 
and he, Girty, could judge of the probable number of 
men. Kenton then named a great many officers, and 
their rank, many of whom had honorary titles, without 
any command. At length Girty asked the prisoner his 
name. When he was answered, Simon Butler. (It will 
be recollected, that he changed his name when he 
fled from his parents and home.) Girty eyed him for a 
moment, and immediately recognized the active and bold 
youth, who had been his companion in arms about Fort 
Pitt, and on the campaign with Lord Dunmore. Girty 
threw himself into Kenton's arms, embraced and wept 
aloud over him — calling him his dear and esteemed friend. 
This hardened wretch, who had been the cause of the 
death of hundreds, had some of the sparks of humanity 
remaining in him, and wept like a child at the tragical 
fate which hung over his friend. " Well," said he to 
Kenton, " you are condemned to die, but I will use every 
means in my power to save your life." 

Girty immediately had a council convened, and made 
a long speech to the Indians, to save the life of the pris- 
oner. As Girty was proceeding through his speech, he 
became very animated ; and under his powerful elo- 
quence, Kenton could plainly discover the grim visages 
of his savage judges relent. When Girty concluded his 
powerful and animated speech, the Indians rose with one 
simultaneous grunt of approbation, saved the prisoner's 
life, and placed him under the care and protection of his 
old companion, Girty. 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 229 

The British had a trading establishment then at Wap- 
«ttomika. Girty took Kenton with him to the store, and 
dressed him, from head to foot, as well as he could wish ; 
he was also provided with a horse and saddle. Kenton 
was now free, and roamed about through the country, 
from Indian town to town, in company with his benefac- 
tor. How uncertain is the fate of nations as well as that 
of individuals ! How sudden the changes from adversity 
to prosperity, and from prosperity to adversity ! Kenton 
being a strong, robust man, with an iron frame, with a 
resolution that never winced at danger, and fortitude to 
bear pain with the composure of a stoic, he soon recov- 
ered from his scourges and bruises, and the other severe 
treatment he had received. It is thought probable, that 
if the Indians had continued to treat him with kindness 
and respect, he would eventually have become one of 
them. He had but few inducements to return again to 
the whites. He was then a fugitive from justice, had 
changed his name, and he thought it his interest to keep 
as far from his former acquaintances as possible. After 
Kenton and his benefactor had been roaming about for 
some time, a war party of Indians, who had been on an 
expedition to the neighborhood of Wheeling, returned; 
they had been defeated by the whites, some of their men 
were killed, and others wounded. When this defeated 
party returned they were sullen, chagrined, and full of 
revenge, and determined to kill any of the whites who 
came within their grasp. Kenton was then the only 
white man upon whom they could satiate their revenge. 
Kenton and Girty were then at Solomon's town, a small 
distance from Wapatomika. A message was immediately 
sent to Girty to return, and bring Kenton with him. The 
two friends met the messenger on the way. The mes- 
senger shook hands with Girty, but refused the hand of 
Kenton. Girty, after talking aside with the messenger 
some time, said to Kenton, they have sent for us to attend 



230 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

a grand council at Wapatomika. They hurried to the 
town ; and when they arrived there the council house was 
crowded. When Girty went into the house, the Indians 
all rose up and shook hands with him ; but when Ken- 
ton offered his hand it was refused, with a scowl of con- 
tempt. This alarmed him ; he began to admit the idea 
that this sudden convention of the council, and their re- 
fusing his hand, boded him some evil. After the mem- 
bers of the council were seated in their usual manner, 
the war chief of the defeated party rose up and made a 
most vehement speech, frequently turning his fiery and 
revengeful eyes on Kenton during his speech. Girty 
was the next to rise to address the council. He told them 
that he had lived with them several years ; that he had 
risked his life in that time more frequently than any of 
them ; that they all knew that he had never spared the 
life of one of the hated Americans ; that they well knew 
that he had never asked for a division of the spoils ; that 
he fought alone for the destruction of their enemies ; and 
that he now requested them to spare the life of this young 
man on his account. The young man, he said, was his early 
friend, for whom he felt the tenderness of a parent for a 
son, and he hoped, after the many evidences that he had 
given of his attachment to the Indian cause, they would 
not hesitate to grant his request. If they would indulge 
him in granting his request to spare the life of this young 
man, he would pledge himself never to ask them again to 
spare the life of a hated American. 

Several chiefs spoke in succession on this important 
subject; and with the most apparent deliberation, the 
council decided, by an overwhelming majority, for death. 
After the decision of this grand court was announced, 
Girty went to Kenton, and embracing him very tenderly, 
said that he very sincerely sympathized with him in his 
forlorn and unfortunate situation ; that he had used all the 
efforts he was master of to save his life, but it was now 



GENERAL SDION KENTON. 231 

decreed that he must die — that he could do no more for 
him. Awful doom ! 

It will be recollected, that this was in 1778, in the 
midst of the American revolution. Upper Sandusky was 
then the place where the British paid their western In- 
dian allies their annuities ; and as time might effect what 
his eloquence could not, Girty, as a last resort, persuaded 
the Indians to convey their prisoner to Sandusky, as 
there would meet vast numbers to receive their presents ; 
that the assembled tribes could there witness the solemn 
scene of the death of the prisoner. To this proposition 
the council agreed ; and the prisoner was placed in the 
care of five Indians, who forthwith set off for Upper San- 
dusky. What windings, and twistings, and turnings, were 
seen in the fate of our hero. 

As the Indians passed from Wapatomika to Upper San- 
dusky, they went through a small village on the river Sci- 
oto, where then resided the celebrated chief Logan, of 
Jefferson memory. Logan, unlike the rest of his tribe, 
was humane as he was brave. At his wigwam the party 
who had the care of the prisoner, staid over night. Dur- 
ing the evening, Logan entered into conversation with 
the prisoner. The next morning he told Kenton that he 
would detain the party that day — that he had sent two of 
his young men off the night before to Upper Sandusky, 
to speak a good word for him. Logan was great and 
good — the friend of all men. In the course of the follow- 
ing evening his young men returned, and early the next 
morning the guard set off with the prisoner for Upper 
Sandusky. When Kenton's party set off from Logan's, 
Logan shook hands with the prisoner, but gave no inti- 
mation of what might probably be his fate. The party 
went on with Kenton till they came in view of the 
Upper Sandusky town. The Indians, young and old, 
came out to meet and welcome the warriors, and view the 
prisoner. Here he was not compelled to run the gaunt- 
17 



232 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

let. A grand council was immediately convened to de- 
termine upon the fate of Kenton. This was the fourth 
council which was held to dispose of the life of the pris- 
oner. As soon as this grand court was organized and 
ready to proceed to business, a Canadian Frenchman, by 
the name of Peter Druyer, who was a captain in the 
British service, and dressed in the gaudy appendages of* 
the British uniform, made his appearance in the council. 
This Druyer was born and raised in Detroit — he was 
connected with the British Indian agent department — 
was their principal interpreter in settling Indian affairs ; 
this made him a man of great consequence among the In- 
dians. It was to this influential man, that the good chief 
Logan, the friend of all the human family, sent his young 
men to intercede for the life of Kenton. His judgment 
and address were only equaled by his humanity. His 
foresight in selecting the agent who it was most proba- 
ble could save the life of the prisoner, proves his judg- 
ment and his knowledge of the human heart. As soon 
as the grand council was organized, Captain Druyer re- 
quested permission to address the council. This per- 
mission was instantly granted. He began his speech by 
stating, " that it was well known that it was the wish 
and interest of the English that not an American should 
be left alive. That the Americans were the cause of the 
present bloody and distressing war — that neither peace 
nor safety could be expected, so long as these intruders 
were permitted to live upon the earth." This part of 
his speech received repeated grunts of approbation. He 
then explained to the Indians, " that the war to be car- 
ried on successfully, required cunning as well as bravery 
— that the intelligence which might be extorted from a 
prisoner, would be of more advantage, in conducting the 
future operations of the war, than would be the life of 
twenty prisoners. That he had no doubt but the com- 
manding officer at Detroit could procure information from 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 233 

the prisoner now before them, that would be of incalcu- 
lable advantage to them in the progress of the present 
war. Under these circumstances, he hoped they would 
defer the death of the prisoner till he was taken to De- 
troit, and examined by the commanding general. After 
which he could be brought back, and if thought advisa- 
ble, upon further consideration, he might be put to death 
in any manner they thought proper." He next noticed, 
" that they had already a great deal of trouble and fatigue 
with the prisoner without being revenged upon him ; but 
that they had got back all the horses the prisoner had 
stolen from them, and killed one of his comrades ; and to 
insure them something for their fatigue and trouble, he 
himself would give one hundred dollars in rum and to- 
bacco, or any other articles they would choose, if they 
would let him take the prisoner to Detroit, to be exam- 
ined by the British general." The Indians, without hes- 
itation, agreed to Captain Druyer's proposition, and he 
paid down the ransom. As soon as these arrangements 
were concluded, Druyer and a principal chief set off with 
the prisoner for Lower Sandusky. From this place they 
proceeded by water to Detroit, where they arrived in a 
few days. Here the prisoner was handed over to the 
commanding officer, and lodged in the fort as a prisoner 
of war. He was now out of danger from the Indians, 
and was treated with the usual attention of prisoners of 
war in civilized countries. The British commander gave 
the Indians some additional remuneration for the life of 
the prisoner, and they returned satisfied to join their 
countrymen at Wapatomika. 

Although Kenton was still a prisoner, he was now in 
no danger from the faggot or the tomahawk ; when he re- 
flected on the many dangers and hair-breadth escapes 
through which he had passed in such rapid succession, 
it looked to him like some terrible dream, which made 
his hair stand on end. He was taken prisoner about the 



234 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

first of September, and arrived at Detroit about the begin- 
ning of November. During the two months he was in 
possession of the Indians, his life was in perpetual and 
imminent danger, and consequently his mind harassed 
with incessant suspense, and fluctuations between hope 
and fear ; no situation could be more appalling or dis- 
tressing to the human heart. Notwithstanding the cor- 
poreal abuses and privations which he had so repeatedly 
to experience, together with the anguish of mind, insep- 
arable from his perilous situation as to life, his health was 
uninterrupted during his dangerous and severe trials. 
From the sufferings through which he passed, it is al- 
most miraculous that he had not sunk in despair, or that 
the privations and exposures he was forced to undergo, 
had not brought on diseases which would put an end to 
his miserable existence ; but such was his confidence in 
the protection of an all-seeing eye, that he was buoyed 
up to bear the sufferings by which he was encompassed, 
with resignation. As soon as his mind was out of sus- 
pense and at ease, his robust constitution and iron frame 
enabled his body to recruit in a few days, from the most 
trying exposures and privations, such as the want of 
sleep, subsistence, and the many and severe flagellations 
which he had so repeatedly to undergo during his painful 
captivity. 

The next day after Kenton had passed into the pos- 
session of the British at Detroit, the commanding officer 
sent for him and had a long conference with him, on the 
subject of the strength and number of the inhabitants in 
the infant settlements of Kentucky. He next inquired 
of the prisoner what he knew of the strength, and de- 
signs of the movements of General Mcintosh, who, it 
was understood, was on the way, or preparing to invade 
the Indian country. To all of which interrogatories, 
Kenton gave such answers as a patriot might be expected 
to give. He told the truth where the truth would not 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 235 

injure his country ; evaded direct answers where the in- 
formation might afford advantage to the enemy. After 
the British commander had interrogated him as long as 
he thought proper, he dismissed him, and gave an order 
on a Captain McGregor, the commissary of clothing, for 
two suits of clothes, which were furnished forthwith. 
He was now permitted the liberty of the city of Detroit, 
but was charged not to leave the town ; if he did, the In- 
dians, in all probability, would kill him. Here he did 
some work, and drew half rations from the British, and 
lived pretty much at his ease ; but the town and suburbs 
of Detroit were too confined a range for a man like him, 
who thought the valley of the grand Ohio too small a 
theater for his active, enterprising genius. He was like 
the bird confined in a cage, always longing for more 
space, that he might take his flight east, west, north or 
south. Here he passed the winter of 1778 and '79. 
Early in the spring of 1779, the Indians brought to De- 
troit several prisoners whom they had taken from Ken- 
tucky. Amongst them were some of Kenton's old asso- 
ciates. These prisoners had also the liberty of the town, 
and Kenton and they strolled about at pleasure. Among 
these prisoners were Captain Nathan Bullit and Jesse 
Coffer. With these two men Kenton began to meditate 
an escape. They had frequent conferences on the sub- 
ject ; but the enterprise was almost too appalling for even 
these hardy, enterprising pioneers. If they should make 
this bold push, they would have to travel nearly four 
hundred miles through the Indian country, where they 
would be exposed to death by starvation, by flood, by 
the tomahawk, or to capture, almost at every step. But 
the longer they brooded over the enterprise the stronger 
their resolutions grew to make the attempt. They could 
make no movement to procure arras, ammunition, or pro- 
vision, without exciting suspicion ; and should they be 
once suspected they would be immediately confined.— 



236 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

In this situation they could only brood over their wished 
flight in secret and in silence. Kenton was a fine look- 
ing man, with a dignified and manly deportment, and a 
soft, pleasing voice, and was everywhere he went a fa- 
vorite among the ladies. A Mrs. Harvey, the wife of an 
Indian trader, had treated him with particular respect 
ever since he came to Detroit, and he concluded if he 
could engage this lady as a confidant, by her assistance 
and countenance ways and means could be prepared to 
aid them in their meditated flight. Kenton approached 
Mrs. Harvey on this delicate and interesting subject, 
with as much trepidation and coyness as ever maiden 
was approached in a love affair. The great difficulty 
with Kenton was to get the subject opened with Mrs. 
Harvey. If she should reject his suit and betray his in- 
tentions, all his fond hopes would be at once blasted. 
However, at length he concluded to trust this lady with 
the seheme of his meditated flight, and the part he washed 
her to act for him. He watched an opportunity to have a 
private interview with Mrs. Harvey ; an opportunity soon 
offered, and he, without disguise or hesitation, in full confi- 
dence informed her of his intention, and requested her aid 
and secrecy. She appeared at first astonished at his propo- 
sal, and observed that it was not in her power to afford 
him any aid. Kenton told her he did not expect or wish 
her to be at any expense on their account — that they had 
a little money for which they had labored, and that they 
wished her to be their agent to purchase such articles as 
would be necessary for them in their flight — that if they 
should go to purchasing it would create suspicion, but 
that she could aid them in this way without creating any 
suspicion ; and if she would be their friend, they had no 
doubt they could effect their escape. This appeal from 
such a fine looking man as Kenton, was irresistible. 
There was something pleasing in being the selected con- 
fidant of such a man ; and the lady, though a little coy at 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 237 

first, surrendered at discretion. After a few chit chats, 
she entered into the views of Kenton with as much 
earnestness and enthusiasm as if she had been his sister. 
She began to collect and conceal such articles as might 
be necessary in the journey : powder, lead, mocasons, 
and dried beef were procured in small quantities, and 
concealed in a hollow tree some distance out of town. 
Guns were still wanting, and it would not do for a lady 
to trade in them. Mr. Harvey had an excellent fowling 
piece, if nothing better should offer, that she said should 
be at their service. They had now every thing that they 
expected to take with them in their flight ready, except 
guns. At length the third day of June, 1779, came, and 
a large concourse of Indians were in the town engaged 
in a drunken frolic ; they had stacked their guns near 
Mrs. Harvey's house ; as soon as it was dark, Mrs. Har- 
vey went quietly to where the Indians' guns were stack- 
ed, and selected the three best looking rifles, carried them 
into her garden, and concealed them in a patch of peas. 
She next went privately to Kenton's lodging, and con- 
veyed to him the intelligence where she had hid the In- 
dians' guns.— She told him she would place a ladder at 
the back of the garden (it was picketed,) and that he 
could come in and get the guns. No time was to be 
lost ; Kenton conveyed the good news he had from Mrs. 
Harvey to his companions, who received the tidings in 
ecstacies of joy ; they felt as if they were already at 
home. It was a dark night ; Kenton, Bullit and Coffer 
gathered up their little all and pushed to Mrs. Harvey's 
garden. There they found the ladder ; Kenton mounted 
over, drew the ladder over after him, went to the pea- 
patch, found Mrs. Harvey sitting by the guns ; she hand- 
ed him the rifles, gave him a friendly shake of the hand 
and bid him a safe journey to his friends and country- 
men. She appeared to Kenton and his comrades as an 
angel. When a woman engages to do an action, she 



238 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

will risk limb, life, or character to serve those whom she 
respects or wishes to befriend. How differently the same 
action will be viewed by different persons : by Kenton 
and his friends her conduct was viewed as the benevo- 
lent action of a good angel ; while if the part she played 
in behalf of Kenton and his companions had been known 
to the commander at Detroit, she would have been look- 
ed upon as a traitress, who merited the scorn and con- 
tempt of all honest citizens. This night was the last 
time that Kenton ever saw or heard of her. 

A few days before Kenton left Detroit, he had a con- 
versation with an Indian trader, a Scotchman, by the 
name of McKinzie, who was well acquainted with the 
geography of the country, and range of the Indians, be- 
tween the lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi. The 
Scotchman slyly observed to Kenton, that if he was go- 
ing to Kentucky, and did not wish to meet with the In- 
dians, he would steer more west than the common route, 
and get into Wabash prairies as soon as possible. Ken- 
ton did not know what to think of the remarks of the 
Scotchman. He began to think that perhaps Mrs. Har- 
vey had divulged his secret to this man, and that he was 
pumping Kenton ; or probably he wished to aid him, and 
this was offering friendly advice. As no more was said, 
he did not pretend to notice what the Scotchman said, but 
treasured the remarks in his mind. 

As soon as Kenton and companions took their leave 
of their friend and benafactress, Mrs. Harvey, they made 
their way to the little store in the hollow tree, bundled 
up, and pushed for the wood, and steered a more west- 
erly, than the direct course to Kentucky. They had no 
doubt but every effort would be made to retake them ; 
they were, consequently, very circumspect and cautious 
in leaving as few traces, by which they might be discov- 
ered, as possible. They went on slowly, traveling most- 
ly in the night, steering their course by the cluster, call- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 239 

cd the seven stars, till they reached the prairie country, 
on the Wabash. In this time, though they had been 
very sparing of their stock of provision, it was now ex- 
hausted, and their lives depended on their guns. In 
these large prairies there was but little game, and they 
were days without provision. They, like the Hebrews 
of old, began to wish themselves again with the flesh 
pots at Detroit. One day as they were passing down 
the Wabash, they were just emerging out of a thicket of 
brush-wood, when an Indian encampment suddenly pre- 
sented itself to their view, and not more than one hun- 
dred and fifty or two hundred yards from them. No 
ghastly visit could have set their hair on end sooner. 
They immediately dodged back into the thicket, and con- 
cealed themselves till night. They were now almost ex- 
hausted with fatigue and hunger — they could only travel 
a few miles in a day. They lay still in the thicket, con- 
sulting with each other the most proper measures to pur- 
sue in this their precarious situation. Bullit and Coffer 
thought the best plan to save their lives, would be volun- 
tarily to surrender themselves to the Indians. The In- 
dians who had taken them had not treated them so rough- 
ly as Kenton had been handled. Kenton wished to lay 
still till night, and make as little sign as possible, and as 
soon as it was dark they would push ahead, and trust the 
event to Providence. After considerable debate, Ken- 
ton's plan was adopted. As soon as it was dark they 
made their way farther from the river, into those large 
prairies. They kept a slow and painful jog till morning. 
In the morning they made for a piece of timber land, 
which was not a great distance from them. Kenton was 
a small distance in advance. As they entered the wood 
a fine red buck presented itself close to him. Kenton 
took deliberate aim — his rifle fired clear, and down fell 
the buck. They immediately made a fire and went to 
cooking ; and never did food eat more delicious. How 



240 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

little do the men of the present age, who live sumptuous- 
ly every day, sympathize with the sufferings of the war- 
worn, weather-beaten pioneers, who braved death and 
misery in every form which can be imagined — want, fa- 
tigue, starvation, exposure in the night, exposure to the 
heat and the cold ; added to these, the exposure to the 
wily Indian by day and by night. All these difficulties 
and privations were cheerfully met by a set of men who 
thought but little of wealth, their whole object appeared 
to be either prompted by patriotism or love of danger. 
The small remnant of these weather-beaten woodsmen, 
who are still amongst us, are generally poor, and treated 
with neglect by their more polished and fortunate suc- 
cessors. Notwithstanding that Kenton and his party 
were now in the neighborhood of an Indian encampment, 
they remained at their fire till they roasted the greatest 
part of their buck. After their feast was over, they again 
took up their slow, weary, and toilsome march. They 
made the best of their way to the falls of the Ohio, and 
arrived there after a painful and tedious march of thirty- 
three days, from the time they left Detroit. Here Ken- 
ton remained a few days with his old companions. This 
was in the month of July, 1779. It required only a few 
days of plentiful living, when his mind was free from sus- 
pense, to recruit both his body and mind. The account of 
the captivity and release of our hero is now related. It 
might naturally be expected that after his narrow and 
providential escapes, severe trials, and his long and pain- 
ful march for freedom, and to again enjoy the pleasure of 
the company of his countrymen, that he would take some 
repose ; but not so : danger and fame were the food 
which afforded him most enjoyment. The many dan- 
gers, trials, and hair-breadth escapes, through which he 
had passed, only whetted his appetite to engage in more 
perils. As soon as his health and strength were recruit- 
ed he began to cast his active mind about for further ad- 



GENERAL SIMON* I&NTON. 241 

venture. The indolence of a stationary life became irk- 
some to our bold adventurer. It was in the clangor 
of arms, and in the din of battle, that he appeared at 
home. 

It will be recollected that in the spring of the prece- 
ding year, 1778, he went with Gen. Clark to the Mis- 
sissippi, and aided in capturing Ocho, or Kaskaskia ; that 
Gen. Clark sent him with dispatches to Kentucky ; that 
on his way he had reconnoitered Post Vincent, and sent 
one of his comrades back to inform Gen. Clark of the 
weak situation, and careless manner in which Post Vin- 
cent was guarded by the enemy. As soon as Kenton's 
messenger arrived at Kaskaskia with this intelligence, 
Gen. Clark moved a detachment from Illinois, across the 
grand prairie, and took Post Vincent by surprise, as 
cheap as he had before taken the Ocho station. Gen. 
Clark still remained at Post Vincent in 1779, when Ken- 
ton had made his escape from captivity. After loitering 
about the falls of Ohio some time, he concluded he would 
now push for Vincennes, and join his old companion in 
arms, Gen. Clark. There was then neither settlement 
nor house between the falls of Ohio and Vincennes ; but 
that did not deter, it rather invited him to the enterprise. 
Our wandering hero went to Vincennes without meeting 
any adventure worth relating. As there was no prospect 
of immediate skirmishes or battles on the Wabash, the 
times appeared too dull for him to remain long in " in- 
glorious ease." He shouldered his rifle, came back to 
the falls of Ohio, and then to Harrod's station, on the 
Kentucky river. The winter, 1779-80, passed off with- 
out any particular occurrence to our hero worth notice. 
* * * I will now notice occurrences which took 
place in Kentucky in 1779, while Kenton was in captiv- 
ity. During this year a number of new settlements were 
formed. Some settlements were made on Bear Grass, 
near the falls of the Ohio. Bashear's and Martin's sta- 



242 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tions were settled. McLelland's, Kiddle's, and Hink- 
ston's stations were again occupied ; and every prospect 
appeared favorable for the speedy filling up of the coun- 
try with inhabitants. 

How deceitful are appearances in times of war ! What 
short sighted beings we are ! We cannot know what a 
day may bring forth ! Although in the summer and fall 
of 1779, every thing appeared favorable to the views of 
the inhabitants of the infant settlement of Kentucky, the 
spring of 1780 ushered forth in melancholy forebodings 
of the future. The Kentuckians were then isolated in 
the wilderness, some hundred of miles from where any 
friendly aid could be procured to relieve in their distress. 
Under these circumstances they had to rely principally 
upon their own energies for defence. At this time a 
large British and Indian force invaded Kentucky. The 
enemy were well equipped for war, having with them 
several pieces of artillery from Detroit. They brought 
their artillery and munitions of war, by water from De- 
troit, up the Maumee, and thence by land to Big Miami ; 
down the Miami to the Ohio ; up the Ohio to the mouth 
of Licking, and up Licking to the forks. From thence 
they proceeded by land; and simultaneously invested 
Martin's and Riddle's stations. As these stations had 
only for defence log block-houses and pickets, resistance 
against artillery would be a useless risk and waste of life, 
the inhabitants capitulated, and surrendered themselves 
prisoners of war. When this disaster took place, Ken- 
ton was at Harrod's station. The news soon spread 
from station to station. Kenton was ever on the alert ; went 
in company with Charles GatifTs, and cautiously follow- 
ed the Indian trail, to ascertain the direction which the 
enemy had taken, and their probable future movements. 
They found the enemy encamped at the forks of Licking 
river. Here they hovered about them for a day or two, 
when the Indians broke up the camp, and proceeded down 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 243 

the river to the Ohio. What urged them to move off 
without delay, was, the Licking river was falling very 
fast, and should they delay much longer they would not 
be able to take their artillery by water ; and if they should 
be pursued and beaten they would lose the effect of their 
successful enterprise. As soon as the Indians commenc- 
ed their retrograde movements from the forks of Licking, 
Kenton returned to Harrod's station. As soon as Gen. 
Clark, who was still at Post Vincent, heard of the disas- 
ter which had taken place in Kentucky, he returned to 
the falls of the Ohio, with all the force that could be safe- 
ly spared ; thence he proceeded to Harrod's station, to 
consult on ways and means to be revenged on their ene- 
mies. An expedition being determined on against the 
enemy, all who were able to bear arms were called upon. 
The mouth of Licking was appointed the place of gene- 
ral rendezvous. Kenton was appointed a captain, and 
commanded an active and numerous company of volun- 
teers from Harrod's station. At the mouth of Licking 
river, was now concentrated Kentucky's united strength, 
amounting to about eleven hundred men, commanded by 
Gen. Clark, a man of intrepidity and talents ; who was 
seconded and aided by numerous spirits, no way inferior 
to himself. They had with them one brass twelve 
pounder, which the state of Virginia had sent to the falls 
of Ohio. The provisions furnished at the expense of 
the public, was three quarts of corn to the man. In ad- 
dition to this, each man brought with him as much dry 
jirk as he could conveniently carry. Thus scantily sup- 
plied, this intrepid band commenced their march. The 
object of this grand expedition, was the destruction of 
the Chillicothe town, on the Little Miami. Although 
Kenton was now a captain of a company, as he had been 
several times at Chillicothe town, hp was selected as the 
pilot to direct their march. This army went through the 
unbroken wilderness, with Kenton for their guide ; made 



244 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

their own roads, and moved rapidly for the Indian towns, 
in order to take them by surprise if possible, and not to 
afford the enemy time to concentrate all their force at any 
one point. When the army arrived at the Chillicothe 
town, the Indians had just left the place, and set the town 
on fire. The Indians had retreated to the Pickaway 
town, and were collecting their force as fast as possible 
to give the whites battle. Gen. Clark commenced an 
immediate pursuit. When he arrived at the Pickaway 
town, he found the Indians embodied and prepared for 
defence. Gen. Clark immediately made the necessary 
arrangements, and the battle commenced. The Indians 
fought like furies, but being overpowered by numbers, 
were compelled to leave the field of battle, with their dead 
and wounded to the whites. The whites destroyed sev- 
eral of their towns without meeting any further resist- 
ance. A vast quantity of corn and other vegetables were 
consumed, and otherwise destroyed. This was a severe 
blow on the Indians. It was the first visit the Kentuck- 
ians had paid the Indians in mass. The northwestern 
Indians were as brave and full of prowess, and skilled in 
stratagem, as any men that ever lived. The Kentuckians 
were only their equals. 

Gen. Clark remained at Pickaway town three days, 
destroying every thing that could be found which might 
render either aid or comfort to the Indians. In this work 
of destruction, Kenton's knowledge of the situation of 
this part of the Indian country was of immense service. 
Let it be recollected, that while he was a prisoner, he 
rode with Girty to nearly all the Indian towns on the 
Miamies and head of the Scioto. The army returned to 
the Ohio opposite to the mouth of Licking, now the city 
of Cincinnati, and there disbanded, and every man re- 
turned to his home, without the formality of a written 
discharge. There was no muster-roll. No pay receiv- 
ed or expected. Every man fought for himself. This 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 245 

was a real democratic army, where every man went when 
he pleased, staid as long as he pleased, and returned when 
he pleased ; but wo to the man who dodged in time of 
danger. 

From the mouth of Licking, Kenton returned to Boon's 
station, and went occasionally to Logan's and Harrod's, 
sometimes acting as a spy or ranger, and sometimes on 
hunting excursions, and sometimes attending with loca- 
ters and surveyors to land business. In this way he 
passed off his time till the fall of the year 1782. During 
all this time his days and nights were passed in tedious 
sameness, without being once enlivened by the thrilling 
animation of an Indian fight. Such is the force of habit, 
that the dull pursuits of civil life soon become irksome to 
the soldier. 

About this time he first heard from his parents. His 
parents or friends could not hear from him, as he had 
changed his name, and till now had been known by the 
name of Simon Butler. He now for the first time learn- 
ed that he had not killed Veach ! that Veach had recover- 
ed and was still living. He now for the first time since 
he came to Kentucky assumed his proper name. 

In the fall of the year 1782, the Kentuckians deter- 
mined on paying the Indians another visit, and endeavor 
to overwhelm them in destruction their troublesome 
neighbors. For this purpose, George R. Clark was 
again appointed, by general consent, commander of their 
forces. When we take a retrospect of the intrepidity 
and fortitude of those pioneer fathers of the west, we are 
almost lost in astonishment at the daring achievements, 
and the discouraging difficulties which they so nobly 
overcame. When we see them collecting and forming 
themselves into armies, traversing large tracts of country 
without roads ; no friendly garrison to retreat to in case 
of disaster ; with no other subsistence but what every 
man furnished himself with; where every man found 

18 



246 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

his own arms, ammunition, tents, and baggage, without 
any of the equipments which constitute the strength of 
armies, we are lost in wonder at the fortitude and resolu- 
tion of those men, that did not quail or fall into despair 
at the appalling dangers and difficulties by which they 
were encompassed. 

(1782.) The mouth of Licking was again appointed 
the place of rendezvous. On this expedition Kenton 
again commanded a company, and was looked upon by 
both officers and privates as one of the pillars of their 
force. His knowledge of the country intended to be in- 
vaded, his cautious yet fearless courage, his tact and in- 
vention for forming stratagem, for ambuscading the ene- 
my, rendered him popular with these pioneers. These 
hardy soldiers would hesitate to obey or execute any plan 
or order, which did not meet the approbation of Simon 
Kenton. The troops having arrived on the ground where 
Cincinnati now stands, they immediately prepared for an 
expeditious march. Their number was about fifteen 
hundred men. They directed their march for the Indian 
towns on the Great Miami. So sudden and secret was 
the expedition, that they fell upon the first Indian town 
without being discovered previous to the attack. In this 
town a large number of Indians were killed, and between 
thirty and forty made prisoners. The alarm being given, 
the Indians deserted their other villages and fled to the 
woods. The whites without further resistance, burnt 
their towns, destroyed their corn, with every other thing 
that fell in their way, that could render the Indians aid 
or comfort. The army then returned to the Ohio, oppo- 
site the mouth of Licking, where they disbanded. On 
the morning that the troops disbanded themselves, Col. 
Floyd, from the falls of the Ohio, made a proposition to 
the army : that all of them who should be living fifty 
years hence, should meet at that place, and talk over the 
affairs of the campaign, and of the various improvements 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 247 

which might by that time take place in the country. 
This resolution was adopted with shouts of acclamation. 
There was something grand and sublime in the proposal ; 
and Col. Floyd must have had correct notions of the 
probable population which might by that time be in quiet, 
peaceable possession of this, then, western wilderness. 
He must have observed, too, the probability of a large 
city growing up at, or opposite the mouth of Licking, 
and the many advantages that this site possessed, from its 
contiguity to several rivers, together with the fine coun- 
try by which it was surrounded. The revolutionary war 
was about this time ended ; the colonies were acknowl- 
edged sovereign, independent states, and the prospects of 
a happy and long peace, was, as they believed, dawning 
upon them. The Indians were the only enemies with 
whom they- had to contend ; and as they had, unaided 
kept them in check, they hoped now, that as their breth- 
ren of the Atlantic states were relieved from the horrors 
of war, that they might count upon receiving a helping 
hand from their fellow citizens east of the mountains. 
They had some doleful feelings, too, about the small 
remnant of them who should probably be alive when the 
fifty years should expire. Although the settlements of 
Kentucky went on rapidly, they continued to be harass- 
ed by Indian wars much longer than was anticipated by 
any. Col. Floyd, who brought forward the resolution 
for the fifty years' meeting, was killed by the Indians on 
Bear Grass, near the falls of the Ohio, a few years after- 
wards. As the fifty years would expire on or about the 
10th day of November, 1832, intense were the feelings 
of the few remaining of those hardy men, as the time of 
the meeting approached. When the fifty years were 
about expiring, almost all the western newspapers gave 
notice of the expected meeting. It would have been a 
scene which men indeed would gaze and wonder at with 
awe and astonishment. To see and converse with the 



248 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

weather-beaten pioneers who had marched in the front of 
war fifty years before, would have excited sensations that 
the pen is unable to describe. The imagination can only 
picture to itself some pleasant, gloomy, scene, in which 
the ghosts of some long-gone-by generation were called 
upon to act a part, in the presence of living men. At the 
time of the proposed fifty years' meeting, a goodly num- 
ber of those ancient heroes were still remaining upon the 
stage of action. Amongst others, Simon Kenton. He 
was as anxious for the meeting as ever a bridegroom was 
for the wedding night. It was his day and night dream. 
The ways of Providence are inscrutable. When the 10th 
of November, 1832, came, Oinniiinati and the whole 
surrounding country was covered in gloom. The dread- 
ed cholera had made its appearance, and thousands were 
falling before its awful and pestilential strides. This aw 
ful visitation postponed the fifty-years' meeting forever. 
To return to the narrative : When the army was dis 
banded, Kenton returned to Harrod's station, and attend 
ed to his private concerns. He had by this time acquirec 
some valuable tracts of land, and as the country was rap 
idly filling up with inhabitants, he concluded that he too 
would make a settlement. For this purpose, he selected 
a fertile spot of land on Salt river. During the winter 
and spring of 1782 and '83, a few families joined him, 
reared up some block-houses, surrounded with pickets for 
defence, cleared some land, and planted corn. The woods 
furnished them with an abundant supply of meat, and 
he went on for the present, improving his estate, without 
interruption from the Indians. After having laid by his 
corn, he concluded to visit his father, mother, brothers, 
and sisters, who still remained in his native land, Vir- 
ginia. He had now been absent nearly thirteen years, 
the greater part of which time was passed in perils, pri- 
vations, and sufferings, almost too great for human nature 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 249 

to survive ; but his iron frame, and unyielding disposi- 
tion, bore him through his difficulties in triumph. 

When he returned to the home of his childhood, he 
had the exquisite satisfaction to find his father and all his 
family living. This meeting had something in it like the 
meeting of the old patriarch Jacob with his son Joseph, 
except that Kenton showed himself the most dutiful and 
filial son of the two, as he went, whilst Joseph sent for 
his father's family. Kenton now associated with the 
friends of his childhood. This was to him a real mental 
feast, as his soul was a storehouse of friendship and sym- 
pathy. Those whom he had left children thirteen years 
before, were now the active business men and women of 
the country. As he passed through the country, some 
hill or hollow, some tree or rivulet, would recall to his 
mind some fun or freakish event of his childhood or youth. 
He visited his old friend Veach, whom he thought he had 
killed. They mutually forgave each other, and buried 
the tomahawk, and smoked the pipe of peace. 

Simon Kenton described to his father and family, the 
fertility and the advantages of the new country of Ken- 
tucky, in such glowing colors, that the whole family 
agreed to accompany him to Kentucky. The whole 
tribe set off; their baggage was placed on a few pack- 
horses, and moved to Redstone fort (now Brownsville). 
Here they made what was called a Kentucky boat. While 
engaged in constructing their boat, his father sickened and 
died, and was buried on the bank of the Monongahela. 
No stone or marble points to the place where lie the bones 
of the father of the celebrated Simon Kenton. Their 
boat was soon finished ; and men, women and children, 
together with the little stock of animals, were crowded 
on board, and they floated down the stream to the falls 
of the Ohio. By this time winter was setting in. From the 
falls they made their way to Kenton's station, on Salt 
river, where they found themselves at the end of their 



250 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

wearisome journey. Here Kenton remained till July, 
1784. Nothing took place worth noticing. Peace ap- 
peared to bless the country, and immigrants came pouring 
in. From the falls of the Ohio up Bear Grass, on Salt river, 
on Kentucky river up to Boon's and Logan's stations, on 
Elkhorn, and through the country, as far as the neighbor- 
hood of where Paris now stands, was checkered with 
stations. 

It will be recollected by the reader, that Kenton and 
Thomas Williams had cleared and planted a small piece 
of ground near Maysville, in 1777, and from this place 
they went and joined Col. Boon and his friends on the 
Kentucky river. In July, 1784, Kenton once more col- 
lected a party of adventurers, and went to his old camp 
near Limestone, now Maysville. The Indians were then 
spread over that part of the country. Kenton and his 
party thought it too dangerous to remain here, and they 
returned again to his station on Salt river. In the fall of 
this year, 1784, he returned to his old camp near Lime- 
stone ; built some block-houses ; and, in the course of the 
winter 1784-5, many families joined them. This station 
was erected about three miles from Limestone, and one 
mile from where Washington, in Mason county, now 
stands. This was the first permanent settlement made 
on the northeast side of Licking river. As the Indians 
made no disturbance this winter, many new settlements 
were commenced in Mason county, in the following 
spring. Limestone, now Maysville, was settled by old 
Ned Waller. Lee's, Warren's, and Clark's stations were 
made; and new comers were constantly pouring in. 
During the whole of the year 1785, no interruption was 
given by the Indians to this infant settlement. The chas- 
tisement given them on the late expedition by General 
Clark, had in some measure broken their spirits. 

1786. The country round Kenton's station continued 
to receive a throng of emigrants : numerous new stations 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 251 

were made, and Limestone (Maysville) became one of 
the principal landing places. This year Kenton sold, or 
rather gave, Arthur Fox and William Wood, one thou- 
sand acres of land, on which they laid out the present 
town of Washington, which town soon received a great 
number of inhabitants. Although the Indians stole, occa- 
sionally, some horses from this infant settlement, yet they 
did nothing serious enough to check the growth of the 
country. 

As it was supposed that they were the Indians from 
Mochacheek and Pickaway, who had been stealing their 
horses, an expedition was resolved upon to chastise them. 
The inhabitants from all the stations sent on a good many 
men, and the new town of Washington was appointed 
the place of rendezvous. Col. Logan had the chief com- 
mand. The detachment consisted of about 700 men, 
armed and equipped at their own expense, as usual. 
They crossed the Ohio at Limestone. Kenton com- 
manded a fine company, and was the pilot to direct their 
march. So secret and expeditious were their move- 
ments, that they arrived at the Indian towns without be- 
ing discovered. These towns were about a mile from 
each other. The whites were divided into two columns, 
and attacked both towns about the same time. A num- 
ber of Indians were killed, and a number of prisoners 
made. Their wigwams and other property were des- 
troyed. As some of the Indians escaped, the alarm was 
given to the other towns, and the Indians made for the 
woods. This little army marched through the Indian 
country without further resistance ; they burnt four other 
towns, destroyed their corn and every thing which might 
render the Indians aid or comfort. On this expedition, 
which had done the enemy a great deal of harm, they 
lost about ten men. 

1787. This year the Indians kept the inhabitants 
around Kenton's station in perpetual alarm, with their 



252 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

predatory incursions ; sometimes stealing horses, at other 
times killing some of the inhabitants. As Kenton's settle- 
ment was a kind of outpost for the settlements around Pa- 
ris and Lexington, the people of the latter settlements al- 
ways lent them a helping hand. Kenton sent word to Col. 
Tod, that if he would come on with as many men as he 
could bring with him, that he, Kenton, would raise what 
men he could, and that with their joint force, they could 
destroy the Indian town on the north fork of Paint creek, 
now Oldtown, then Chillicothe. This detachment ren- 
dezvoused in Washington. Col. Tod commanded. They 
crossed the Ohio at Limestone. Kenton, as usual, com- 
manded a company, and piloted the expedition to the 
Chillicothe town. On their route out, about five miles 
south of Oldtown, on a place now called poplar-ridge, the 
advance guard, commanded by Kenton, met four Indians. 
Kenton and one Helm fired, and killed two of the Indians. 
The other two were taken prisoners. Had either of 
those Indians escaped, the Indians in the town and coun- 
try would have been alarmed and fled. Kenton was now 
surrounded by a set of young men of his own training, 
and fearful was the doom of enemies of equal numbers 
who came in their way. From the two prisoners they 
had taken, they learnt that there was a large Indian en- 
campment between them and old Chillicothe, about three 
miles from the latter place. On this intelligence the 
army was halted on poplar-ridge, and Kenton and his 
company went forward, to reconnoiter the situation of 
the enemy. Kenton proceeded near the Indian camp, 
lay by till night, and then with a few men reconnoitered 
the place, and made himself acquainted with the situation 
of the enemy. He then sent an express to Col. Tod, in- 
forming him of their probable number and situation. Be- 
fore day Maj. Hinkston came on and joined Kenton. 
Prompt measures were immediately taken. The Indian 
camp was surrounded. The whites were too impatient 



GENERAL SHION KENTON. 

for delay ; the attack was made before it was light enough. 
Two Indians only were killed, and seven made prisoners. 
Many in the darkness made their escape. Col. Tod, 
with the main body of the troops, lingered behind, and 
did not reach the place where the Indians were defeated, 
till the sun was at least two hours high in the morning. 
The Indians who escaped from camp, alarmed the town. 
Their men, women, and children, took naked to the 
woods, and by the time Col. Tod reached the town, they 
had all fled. The town was consumed to ashes, and ev- 
ery thing around was destroyed. The army camped on 
the north fork of Paint creek that night, and next day 
made their way for home, without the loss of a man kill- 
ed or wounded. 

♦1788. The settlements continued to increase around 
Kenton's station, although the Indians continued to ha- 
rass them. The scouting parties of the whites occasion- 
ally fell in with straggling parties of Indians, and fre- 
quent skirmishes ensued during the year. On one occa- 
sion the Indians came near Kenton's station, and stole a 
great number of horses. Kenton raised a party and pur- 
sued them. The Indians crossed the Ohio near the 
mouth of Locust. Kenton and his party pursued them 
with unerring tact, and the speed of a well trained pack 
of hounds. They overtook the Indians as they were 
preparing to camp for the night. As Kenton and party 
lay concealed some small distance from the camp, one of 
the Indians straggled to where the whites were concealed. 
The Indian was shot. The whites rushed upon the In- 
dian camp, but a gun being fired, the Indians got alarmed, 
and took to the woods ; and it being the dusk, or twilight 
of the evening, the rest of the Indians made their escape 
Kenton recovered all the horses, and some of their guns, 
and all their camp equipage, and returned in triumph 
home. - 

During the years 1789, '90, and '91, Kenton was not 



254 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

engaged in any particular scrape worth detailing. He 
now became rich in land, and stock of every kind ; rear- 
ed up near Washington, a fine brick building, upon the 
site where his block-house had formerly stood in times 
of peril. His hospitable mansion was the welcome re- 
treat of his friends and relatives. His hospitality was 
as boundless as space — his manners easy and pleasing. 
All his visitors (and they were numerous) felt themselves 
perfectly at home at his friendly dwelling. In the year 
1789, the writer of these sketches first became acquaint- 
ed with Kenton ; and although young, was with him on 
many excursions after Indians. Notwithstanding the 
many difficulties and dangers which the early settlers had 
to encounter, they, in the general, were as happy and 
merry people as ever lived. Their times of security and 
plenty (they sometimes enjoyed both) was a real feast 
of body and mind. 

1792. In the spring of this year the Indians were 
very troublesome, occasionally killing some of the inhab- 
itants, and stealing their horses. In April a party of In- 
dians crossed the Ohio some distance below Limestone, 
and took off a number of horses. The alarm was given, 
and Kenton raised a party of thirty-seven men, who im- 
mediately went in pursuit. These were all young men 
of intrepidity, of his own training, bold, dextrous, and 
cautious. The Indians took the direction towards the 
head of the Little Miami. Kenton pursued ; and when 
near the east fork of the Little Miami, silently pursuing 
the Indian trail, he heard a bell at a distance. He imme- 
diately stopped his party, and as was his custom, he 
went in person to reconnoiter. He took with him three 
others. Among those he selected, was Cornelius Wash- 
burn, a young man whose nerves and pulse were as 
steady and regular while taking aim at an Indian, as 
when he was practicing with his rifle at a target. He 
had been with Kenton on several expeditions, and always 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 255 

distinguished himself as a bold soldier. Kenton and his 
companions went cautiously forward towards the bell. 
After they had gone some distance, they saw an Indian 
riding, nearing toward them. (The Indian was hunting 
with his bell open, as deer are not alarmed at the sound 
of a bell ; on the contrary, they stand and gaze at the 
horse on which the bell hangs.) As soon as Kenton 
saw the Indian approaching, he concealed his little party, 
till the Indian came as near them as the direction he was 
traveling would admit. He selected Washburn to shoot 
the Indian. When he came into an open space in the 
wood, Kenton called, or made a noise. The Indian, as 
was expected, stopped to listen. The moment the In- 
dian stopped his horse, Cornelius Washburn drew his 
bead upon him — drew his hair trigger — the rifle fired 
clear, and down fell the Indian. Kenton then returned 
to his main party, and a consultation was held on the 
subject of their future operations. They were satisfied 
this Indian was not alone in the woods — that his com- 
rades were not far distant. As they were satisfied they 
were in the neighborhood of the enemy, circumspection 
in their movements was indispensable. They were still 
on the trail of the Indians who had stolen the horses. 
Cornelius Washburn, with another choice and confiden- 
tial spirit, moved on the trail some distance in advance. 
They had not traveled far before Washburn was seen re- 
turning hastily to meet the party. He gave Kenton in- 
telligence that about a mile ahead, he had heard a vast 
number of bells, and that he was convinced the bells 
were near the Indian camp, as they appeared to be scat- 
tered as if the horses were feeding in different directions. 
A council was immediately held, to make arrangements 
for the coming combat. It was now late in the evening 
and drizzling rain. Kenton, after placing his detachment 
in a proper situation to defend themselves should they be 
attacked, took Cornelius Washburn, and went to ascer- 



256 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

tain by personal observation the situation of the enemy. 
About the dusk of the evening he came in view of the 
Indian encampment. With the stealthy and watchful 
tread of the cat, he approached as near their camp as pru- 
dence would dictate. The Indians were camped on the 
bank of the east fork of the Little Miami, about five miles 
above where Williamsburg now stands. They had a 
number of tents and marquees, which it is probable they 
had taken at St. Clair's defeat. The number of Indians 
he could not ascertain ; but he had no doubt there was 
three or four times the number there was of whites. 
Kenton returned and reported to his comrades their situ- 
ation, and probable number; and after consultation, it 
was determined to trust to fortune and attack them bold- 
ly. Kenton moved on his party near to the enemies' 
camp, and then divided them into parties of four men 
each, and each party was to attack a separate tent or 
marquee. He chose midnight for the attack, lest he 
might have to retreat, and in that case he wished a good 
part of the night to get the start, as they could not be 
pursued in the dark. As soon as his arrangements were 
made, they moved cautiously forward to the unequal con- 
test. So cautious and noiseless was their approach, that 
every party was within five or six paces of the line of 
tents, without being discovered. They rushed upon the 
Indian tents with tremendous yells, and each fired his 
rifle against an Indian as they slept. The Indians who 
were uninjured, broke through the backs of the tents. 
Kenton's party wore so small that not near half the tents 
were fired into. At the first fire nearly all the Indians 
who had left the tents, seeing the small number of the 
whites, boldly rallied, returned to the tents that were not 
attacked, gathered up their arms, and returned the fire. 
There was on a lower bottom, a second line of tents, 
which Kenton had not discovered when he reconnoitered 
the camp. The Indians from this low ground run up the 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 257 

bank to the aid of their comrades. Kenton perceived 
this movement, and seeing the Indians attempting to sur- 
round him, ordered a retreat. The whole skirmish 
lasted but a few minutes. Just as the retreat was com- 
menced, John Barr (the father of Maj. William Barr, of 
Cincinnati, and John T. Barr, of New York) was killed, 
and Alexander Mclntire was taken prisoner, and the next 
day killed. The residue of Kenton's little band arrived 
in safety at home. From information received from a 
Mr. Riddle, a white man, who lived with the Indians, 
their numbers were two hundred; some of whom were 
women. There were about thirty of them killed, and a 
number wounded. This is very probable, from the ad- 
vantage the whites had in the attack, and while the fight 
lasted. The celebrated Tecumseh commanded the In- 
dians. His caution and fearless intrepidity made him a 
host wherever he went. In military tactics, night at- 
tacks are not allowable, except in cases like this, where 
the assailing party are far inferior in numbers. Some- 
times in night attacks, panics and confusion are created 
in the attacked party which may render them a prey to 
inferior numbers. Kenton trusted to something like this 
on the present occasion, but was disappointed ; for where 
Tecumseh was present, his influence over the minds of 
his followers, infused that confidence in his tact and in- 
trepidity, that they could only be defeated by force of 
numbers. 

1793. As Mason county was filling up with inhabi- 
tants very rapidly, they felt themselves strong in numbers. 
They kept spies constantly ranging the country, and if 
the Indians crossed the Ohio, they had to do it very slyly, 
or they would be discovered by these ever watchful 
spies. Kenton had, this season, made an arrangement 
with a Col. Enoch Smith, of Strode's station, that should 
the Indians show themselves in his (Smith's) neighbor- 
hood, that Kenton, with his select corps, would endeavor 



258 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

to head the Indians about the Ohio. A party of Indians 
had crossed the Ohio about the mouth of the Scioto, went 
back, attacked and took Morgan's station. Col. Smith, 
pursuant to the arrangement, sent an express to Kenton, 
informing him of the disaster which had befallen Mor- 
gan's station, and the course the Indians had taken. Ken- 
ton immediately raised a party of about thirty men, cross- 
ed the Ohio at Limestone, and moved rapidly through 
the woods to endeavor to head the Indians about the 
mouth of Paint creek, on the Scioto. When he came to 
Paint creek, at the place now known as Reeve's cross- 
ing, he came on a fresh trail of Indians going down the 
creek. It was then late in the evening. He pursued the 
trail till nearly dark : Kenton then left his party, and 
took Michael Cassady, and went forward to make obser- 
vations. They had not proceeded far before they heard 
bells. They cautiously went forward to reconnoiter. 
They found the Indians encamped on the bank of Paint 
creek. They had three fires ; some of them were sing- 
ing and making other merry noises, showing that they 
felt in perfect security. Kenton and Cassady returned 
to their party, and it was concluded to lay still till day- 
light, and then surround and attack the Indians. Kenton's 
party were all on horseback. They tied their horses, and 
laid still till nearly day, when they moved on for the In- 
dian camp. When they got near the camp, a halt was 
made, and they divided into three divisions : Captain 
Baker, with one division, was directed to proceed to the 
creek above the camp ; Cassady, with another division, 
was ordered to make to the creek below the camp ; and 
Kenton, with the remaining division, was to attack the 
camp in front. Strict orders were given that no attack 
was to be made till it was light enough to draw a clear 
bead. The divisions took their several stations promptly. 
Daylight began to appear — the Indians had risen, and 
some were standing or sitting about their fires. Cap- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 259 

tain Baker, seeing the Indians, soon became impatient to 
commence the action ; and before it was light enough to 
draw a clear sight, he made the attack. All the divisions 
then rushed upon the Indian camp and fired. The Indi- 
ans dashed through the creek, and scattered through the 
woods, like a flock of young partridges. Three Indians, 
only, and a white man by the name of Ward, were kill- 
ed. Ward was taken prisoner by the Indians when 
young, and in every respect was an Indian. This Ward 
had two brothers, James and Charles, who were near 
neighbors to Kenton, and who were respectable men. 
Kenton's party lost one man in this rencounter, a Mr. Jo- 
seph Jones. The party now returned home without any 
further adventure. 

In the course of this summer, the spies who had been 
down the Ohio below Limestone, discovered where a 
party of about twenty Indians had crossed the Ohio, and 
sunk their canoes in the mouth of Holt's creek. The sink- 
ing of their canoes, and concealing them, was evidence 
of the intention of the Indians to recross the Ohio at the 
same place. When Kenton received this intelligence he 
despatched a messenger to Bourbon county, to apprise 
them that Indians had crossed the Ohio, and had taken 
that direction ; whilst he forthwith collected a small party 
of choice spirits, whom he could depend upon in cases 
of emergency. Among them was Cornelius Washburn, 
a man who had the cunning of the fox for ambuscading, 
and the boldness of the lion for executing. With this 
party, Kenton crossed the Ohio at Limestone, and pro- 
ceeded down to opposite the mouth of Holt's creek, 
where the Indian canoes lay concealed. Here his party 
lay concealed four days, before they heard or saw any 
thing of the Indians. On the fourth day of their ambus- 
cade, they discovered three Indians come down the 
bank, and drive six horses into the river. The horses 
swam over. The Indians then raised one of the canoes 



260 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

they had sunk, and crossed over. When the Indians 
came near the shore, Kenton discovered that of the three 
men in the canoe, one was a white man. As he thought 
the white man was probably a prisoner, he ordered his 
men to fire alone at the Indians, and save the white man. 
His men fired : the two Indans fell. The headway which 
the canoe had, run her on the shore. The white man in 
the canoe, picked up his gun, and as Kenton ran down 
to the water's edge to receive the man, he snapped his 
gun at the whites. Kenton then ordered his men to kill 
him. He was immediately shot. About three or four 
hours afterwards, on the same day, two more Indians 
and another white man came to the river, and drove in 
five horses. The horses swam over ; and the Indians 
raised another of their sunk canoes, and followed the 
horses across the Ohio. As soon as the canoe touched the 
shore with the Indians, Kenton's party fired upon them, 
and killed them all. The white man who was with this 
party of Indians, had his ears cut, his nose bored, and 
had all the marks which distinguish the Indians. Kenton 
and his men still kept up their ambuscade, knowing there 
were still more Indians, and one canoe yet behind. Some- 
time in the night, the main body of the Indians came to 
the place where their canoes were sunk, and hooted like 
owls ; but not receiving any answer, they began to think 
all was not right. The Indians were as vigilant as wea- 
sels. The two parties who had been killed, the main 
body expected to find camped on the other side of the 
Ohio ; and as no- answer was given to their hooting like 
owls, which hooting was doubtless the agreed upon 
countersign, one of the Indians must have swam the river, 
to reconnoiter, or discover what had become of heir 
friends. The Indian, who had swam the river, must 
have discovered the ambuscade. He went up on a high' 
hill, or knob, which was immediately in Kenton's rear, 
and gave three long and loud yells ; after which he in- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 261 

formed his friends that they must immediately make their 
escape, as there were a party of whites waylaying them. 
Kenton had several men who understood the Indian lan- 
guage. Not many minutes after the Indian on the hill 
had warned his companions of their danger, the Bourbon 
militia came up. It being dark, the Indians broke and 
run, leaving about thirty horses, which they had stolen 
from about Bourbon. The next morning some attempts 
were made to pursue the Indians, but they had straggled 
and scattered off in such small parties, that the pursuit 
was abandoned, and Kenton and his party returned home, 
without this affair making any more noise or eclat, than 
would have taken place on the return of a party from a 
common hunting tour. Although Kenton and his ^arty 
did not succeed as well as they could wish, or was ex- 
pected by their friends, yet the Indians were completely 
foiled and defeated in their object, six of them were kill- 
ed, and all the horses they had stolen were retaken, and 
the remainder of the Indians scattered, to return home in 
small squads. This was the last inroad the Indians made 
in Kentucky ; from henceforward they lived free from 
alarms. 

This same season, 1793, Gen. Wayne came down the 
Ohio with the regular army, and was camped on a piece 
of ground just below Cincinnati, called Hobson's choice. 
Gen. Wayne made a requisition for men on Kentucky, 
which was promptly afforded. Gen. Scott commanded 
the Kentucky troops. Of these Kenton was a major, 
and placed at the head of a battalion of as choice spirits 
as ever settled on the frontier. Wayne, with his army, 
went on, and built Fort Greenville. By this time the 
season was too far advanced, and Gen. Wayne concluded 
to suspend his principal operations for the present. He 
sent a detachment, and erected Fort Recovery, on the 
ground where Gen. St. Clair had been defeated. While 
Fort Recovery was build in?, Gen. Wayne permitted 

19 



262 A SKETCH OF THE EIFE OF 

Kenton of the Kentucky troops, and Maj. McMahan of 
the regulars, to take an excursion towards the lakes. 
This Maj. McMahan was one of the first settlers about 
the Mingo bottom, on the Ohio, above Wheeling. He 
was about the same age and experience with Kenton. 
McMahan and Samuel Brady were the admitted chiefs 
among the frontier men, from Wheeling to Beaver creek. 
When among the pioneers, McMahan was sure to be 
obeyed, let who would hold the commission. Kenton 
and McMahan were both now with Gen. Wayne, and 
both were majors. These men, though the bravest of 
the brave, knew nothing about the slow, cautious move- 
ments of armies, whose intention was to maintain the 
conquest they might make. They bitterly complained 
of Gen. Wayne's dilatory movements ; declared they 
might flog the Indians much easier, and with less labor, 
than build forts. Gen. Wayne apprised of their discon- 
tent, concluded that he would permit these two distin- 
guished and celebrated majors, to have a detachment of 
about three hundred men, and let them push forward till 
they would find a fight. Kenton's and McMahan's de- 
tachment consisted of 150 men each — 150 regulars, and 
150 volunteers. This detachment went on till they were 
near the mouth of the Auglaize, near Fort Defiance, 
where they began to find Indian signs plenty. Though 
McMahan was equally brave, Kenton was far the most 
cautious and discreet soldier. The scouting parties from 
this detachment, found numerous large trails of Indians, 
coming from different directions, and appearing to center 
not far from them. Kenton did not like the signs about 
him, and thought it would be most prudent to retire. 
McMahan, who was very brave, and very obstinate in 
his opinion, said he could not think of retiring without 
fighting. Kenton told him that he thought it very im- 
prudent and very hazardous to go farther ; but if it were 
determined to have a fight at all hazards, that he would 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 263 

join him ; that all should be done that men could do ; 
that if a rapid retreat became necessary, he (Kenton) and 
his men were mounted, and consequently would have 
some advantage in a rapid retreat. Nothing was con- 
cluded that night. Next morning before day, McMahan 
went to Kenton, and said, that after weighing all the cir- 
cumstances in relation to the apparent concentration of 
the Indians, that appeared to be gathering around them, 
that he thought his (Kenton's) course of proceeding the 
best, at least the safest. This detachment then returned 
to Greenville, without having struck a blow. General 
Wayne said that he thought more of his two majors now 
than he did before ; that he now found they had some 
conduct with their courage. Kenton lay at Greenville 
with Gen. Wayne till winter set in, when he was dis- 
charged, and returned home. Thus closed Kenton's 
military career, till 1813. Maj. McMahan commanded 
Fort Recovery when the Indians attacked that place. Not 
content with defending the fort, he rushed out upon the 
Indians and was slain, 1794. 

The Indian war being now happily terminated, the em- 
igration to Kentucky pushed forward in a constant stream. 
Land became valuable ; and as there was great irregular- 
ity, and want of precision, in the first entries and surveys, 
the late locaters made their entries and surveys of land 
very special. Although Kenton was then thought to be 
one of the richest men in Kentucky, in land, yet one of 
his land claims failed after another, till he was completely 
bewildered in a labyrinth of litigation. As Kenton was 
unlettered, and consequently unacquainted with legal 
proceedings, every advantage was taken of his ignorance, 
and in a few years the glorious technicalities and uncer- 
tainty of the law, stripped this honest man of his blood- 
bought earnings, and sent him in the evening of his days, 
pennyless and dejected, to spend his few remaining years 
in poverty and want. 



264 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

About the year 1802 he settled in Urbana, Champaign 
county, Ohio ; where he remained some years, beloved 
and respected by all who had any regard for patriotic 
worth. While in Champaign county, he was elected a 
Brigadier-general of the militia. About 1810, he became 
a member of the methodist church, of which he remain- 
ed a respected member till the day of his death. 

In 1813, when Governor Shelby came to Urbana, at 
the head of the Kentucky troops, Kenton would not re- 
main in " inglorious ease," when his country required 
defenders. He shouldered his rifle, mounted his horse, 
and joined the army as a private, but a privileged mem- 
ber of the Governor's military family. He crossed the 
lakes, and accompanied General Harrison to Maiden in 
Upper Canada ; from thence up lake St. Clair and the 
river Thames. He was present at the glorious battle of 
the Moravian Town, and played his part with his usual 
intrepidity. Here ends the military career of the famous 
Simon Kenton — a man who, it is probable, passed 
through more hair-breadth escapes than any man living 
or dead. 

About 1820, he moved to the head of Mad river, in 
Logan county, near to the site of Old Wapatomika, one 
of the places where he passed through scenes of suffer- 
ing, indescribable, while a captive with the Indians in 
his youth. Here, in the midst of a beech forest, was 
passed, in humble poverty, the evening of the life of this 
illustrious man. If a long life of hardy adventures — with 
a courage that never quailed at danger, and patriotism 
that never ceased its exertion in his country's cause, de- 
serves the title of illustrious, then stands the name of 
General Kenton in the first rank of worthies. 

About 1824, through the exertions of Judge Burnet of 
Cincinnati, (then a member of the United States senate) 
and of General Vance, the present Governor of Ohio, 
(then a member of the house of representatives, in con- 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 265 

gress) a pension of twenty dollars a month was obtained 
for him. This sum, though small for such services as 
he rendered to his country, secured his declining age 
fiom actual want. 

In the month of April, 1836, this great and good 
man* breathed his last. In the Western Christian Advo- 
cate, of June 24, 1836, I find the following appropriate 
and graphic notice of his death, by Mr. W. I. Ell worth. 

" After the din of war had ceased, and savage barbar- 
ity was no longer dreaded by the peaceful emigrants, 
General Kenton retired to private life, to enjoy the sweets 
of domestic happiness. He settled a few miles north of 
Old Wapatomika, (now Zanesfield) Logan county, Ohio, 
where he spent the last of a long and, we trust, a useful 
life. The frosts of more than eighty winters had fallen 
on his head, without entirely whitening his locks. Dur- 
ing the last few years, he declined rapidly ; not so much 
from the effects of disease, as by the influence of early 
hardship and toil. He was for more than eighteen years 
a respectable member of the Methodist church ; and a 
regular attendant on the ministry of the word. When 
his trembling limbs would no longer perform their wont- 
ed functions, he would solicit some kind friend to lead 
him to the house of God. I visited him a few hours 
before his decease, and found him perfectly willing to 
die. His death, though not triumphant, was peaceful; 
and we trust he has exchanged a world of care and grief, 
for a state of holy and uninterrupted joy." 

He lived to hear the " din of war hushed," and gen- 
tle peace returning. He lived to see changes more ex- 
traordinary. He lived to see farms, towns, and schools 
of learning, and temples of worship constructed, where 

* I am aware, that, by too many of the present day, none 
are considered great, but such as are adepts in procuring and 
retaining wealth. Such men as Cincinnatus, Epaminondas, 
or Miltiades, would now be sneered at as poor drivelers. 



266 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 

the solitary hunter in days past pitched his lonely camp ; 
and in the silent and dark forest pursued his game. What 
a change ! He was permitted to live a long life as a con- 
necting link, to illustrate the manners of two eras as 
dissimilar as if they were one thousand years distant from 
each other. He had lived to see moral revolutions as 
surprising as these extraordinary changes. These muta- 
tions in manners and in morals have been gradual in 
their progress, but most important in their results : and 
they have been introduced in our country in less than 
fifty years. Every sketch of them, however slight or 
detached, should be treasured with pious care. 

General Kenton was of fair complexion, six feet one 
inch in height. He stood and walked very erect ; and, 
m the prime of life, weighed about one hundred and nine- 
ty pounds. He never was inclined to be corpulent, al- 
though of sufficient fulness to form a graceful person. He 
had a soft, tremulous voice, very pleasing to the hearer. 
He had laughing, grey eyes, which appeared to fascinate 
the beholder. He was a pleasant, good-humored, and 
obliging companion. When excited, or provoked to an- 
ger (which was seldom the case) the fiery glance of his 
eye would almost curdle the blood of those with whom 
he came in contact. His rage, when roused, was a tor- 
nado. In his dealing, he was perfectly honest ; his con- 
fidence in man, and his credulity, were such, that the 
same man might cheat him twenty times ; and if he pro- 
fessed friendship, he might cheat him still. 

I have now related the principal incidents in the event- 
ful life of this extraordinary man ; with truth only for my 
guide. I am aware that my composition will require the 
indulgence of my readers ; and it is believed that those 
who know me best, will not hesitate to pardon my want 
of method, and the coarse style of my writing. Although 
I am ambitious to please the reader, vanity, or a false 
estimate of my acquirements, or talents, did not induce 



GENERAL SIMON KENTON. 267 

me to write these sheets. My aim was to be useful, by- 
recording the actions of men, to whom Kentucky and 
Ohio owe a debt of gratitude. How could the rising 
generation set a correct estimate on the character of men 
of whom they had only heard by common fame ? 

In 1830, I paid a visit to General Kenton, and from 
his own words, and in his presence, committed to writing 
the principal incidents related in the foregoing narrative. 
In a life so long and full of actions, there is no doubt 
but many interesting events escaped the old hero's recol- 
lection. The writer of this narrative, in his youth, ac- 
companied him on several minor expeditions, of which 
no notice is taken. But enough is written to show the 
genius and enterprise of the man, who first planted corn 
on the north of Kentucky. 



I will close these narratives, by quoting a few lines 
from a western bard. 

" Say, shall the rough woodland pioneers, 

Of Mississippi's wide-extended vale, 
Claim no just tribute of our love and tears, 

And their names vanish with the passing gale? 
With veteran arms the forest they subdued, 

With veteran arts subdued the savage foe ; 
Our country, purchased with their valiant blood, 

Claims for them all that gratitude can do. 
Their arduous labors gave us wealth and ease ; 

Fair freedom followed from their doubtful strife; 
Their well-aimed measures gave us lasting peace, 

And all the social blessedness of life. 
Then let their offspring, mindful of their claims, 

Cherish their honors in the lyric band. 
save from dark oblivion's gloomy reign, 

The brave, the worthy fathers of our land." 

THE END. 



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